The 14-Round Lie: Agents Ambush U.S. Citizens in San Bernardino, Shoot at Fleeing Teenager, and Claim “Self-Defense”
By CSP | January 16, 2026
They didn’t just lie. They tried to execute a family and then frame the father for the inconvenience of surviving.
If you still think “compliance” saves you, look at San Bernardino. On August 16, DHS didn’t just violate the Constitution; they used it for target practice.
Here is the breakdown of a state-sponsored ambush.
The Incident: A Hit Squad with Badges
It started as a standard roving patrol stop—which is code for “we pulled you over because we felt like it.” The victims were U.S. citizens: Francisco Longoria, his teenage son, and his daughter’s boyfriend.
When agents demanded identification without articulable suspicion (a Fourth Amendment violation right out of the gate), the family refused. They knew their rights.
DHS doesn’t like it when you know your rights.
Instead of de-escalating, agents immediately went to Level 10 force. They smashed the vehicle’s windows. Glass flying, shouting, weapons drawn. This wasn’t a traffic stop; it was a breach and clear.
Terrified, Francisco did what any human being does when armed men shatter their windows: He drove away.
This is where the lie begins. As the car moved away from the agents, they opened fire. Not a warning shot. They dumped 14 rounds into a vehicle carrying a teenager.
Tactical Analysis: Why “Doing Everything Right” Didn’t Matter
We tell people to follow the script: Assert rights, record everything, don’t resist. Francisco followed the script. It almost got his son killed.
1. The “Compliance” Trap
The standard advice assumes the officer is a rational actor bound by law. These agents were not.
Action: Francisco asserted his 4th Amendment right to refuse ID without probable cause.
Reaction: Agents smashed his window.
Tactical Reality: When you are dealing with a predator, “rights” are just noise. The window smash was a pre-attack indicator. They had already decided to escalate to violence before the glass hit the floor. If he had stayed, they would have dragged him out through the broken glass.
2. The “Fatal Funnel” of the Vehicle
Agents love car stops because a car is a coffin.
Boxed In: You have limited movement.
Visibility: You can’t see their hands, but they can shine lights in your eyes.
The Escalation: By smashing the window, they breached the “sanctuary” of the vehicle. Francisco’s flight response was biological and rational. DHS treated a “fight or flight” survival reflex as a capital offense.
Rules of Engagement: The Legal Murder Attempt
Let’s look at the specific laws and policies these agents shredded.
1. The “Fleeing Felon” Rule (Tennessee v. Garner, 1985)
The Supreme Court is crystal clear: Police cannot shoot a fleeing suspect unless that suspect poses a significant threat of death or serious physical injury to the officer or others.
The Reality: The car was driving away. The threat was decreasing with every second.
The Violation: Shooting at a receding vehicle is an execution attempt, not law enforcement.
2. DHS Use of Force Policy (CBP Handbook)
Policy: “Deadly force may not be used solely to prevent the escape of a fleeing subject.”
Policy: “Firearms shall not be discharged at a moving vehicle unless the subjects in the vehicle are threatening the officer with deadly force.”
The Violation: The car was the “weapon” in their report, but the video proves the car was not aiming at them. They shot because they lost control of the situation, and their ego demanded blood.
The Cover-Up: Manufacturing a Crime
Immediately after the shooting, the DHS spin machine went to work. They charged Francisco with Assault on a Federal Officer.
Why this charge?
It is the “Cover Your Ass” special. If they charge him with trying to kill them, it justifies them trying to kill him. They claimed he “forced a CBP officer to discharge his firearm” in self-defense.
The Video Killed the Star Witness
The footage destroyed their story in seconds.
No agents were in front of the car.
No agents were in the path of the vehicle.
No one was being threatened.
They were shooting at taillights. They were shooting because they were angry he didn’t submit.
The Verdict: Total Impunity
The charges against Francisco collapsed. They had to drop them because the video proved the agents were the aggressors.
But here is the punchline:
Francisco walked free, but so did the agents.
The agents who illegally detained U.S. citizens? Free.
The agents who smashed the windows of a family car? Free.
The agents who fired 14 rounds into a car with a kid inside? Free.
The system worked exactly as designed: It protected the state’s violence while criminalizing the citizen’s survival.
Sources & Citations
LA Times: San Bernardino man arrested after he protested immigration officer shooting at his truck (Confirms the arrest and subsequent release).1
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-08-29/san-bernardino-man-arrested-immigration-officers-shot-at-his-truck
Tennessee v. Garner (471 U.S. 1): Supreme Court ruling prohibiting lethal force against non-dangerous fleeing suspects.
https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/471/1/
CBP Use of Force Policy: Official handbook stating agents should not shoot at moving vehicles unless under imminent threat.
https://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/files/assets/documents/2021-Jul/cbp-use-force-policy_0.pdf
NBC News Video Evidence: Federal agents open fire on vehicle caught on camera
