U.S. Border Patrol Agents Shoot Woman in Chicago After They Were Boxed in by Cars By Charlotte Phillipp 13

A woman was shot and injured by U.S. Border Patrol agents in Chicago, marking the latest of several shootings since President Donald Trump’s administration launched an immigration enforcement operation earlier this year.

Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, confirmed in a statement that a shooting broke out in the city’s Brighton Park neighborhood on Saturday, Oct. 4, after “law enforcement officers were rammed by vehicles and boxed in by 10 cars.”

After becoming stuck and getting out of their car, agents began firing “defensive shots” after they learned that a woman who was driving one of the cars “was armed with a semi-automatic weapon.”

The Chicago Police Department (CPD) told PEOPLE in a statement that they also responded to the scene after receiving a call about a person being shot to “document the incident.”

Although McLaughlin said that the woman, a U.S. citizen, drove herself to a hospital for treatment, WBEZ Chicago reported that Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Merritt said she was found near 39th Street and South Kedzie Avenue and was transported to the hospital.

No law enforcement officers were injured in the attack, according to McLaughlin, who claimed that the woman was known to agents for sharing information about immigration officers online.

A spokesperson with the Southwest Side Rapid Response team, a community-based organization that issues social media alerts when immigration enforcement agents are seen in the area, also alleged to WBEZ that the federal immigration agents caused a multi-vehicle car crash near the shooting.

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McLaughlin claimed that CPD was “refusing to assist DHS in securing the area.” CPD told PEOPLE: “CPD officers were also on-scene to maintain safety and traffic control for all living and working in the area.”

Police also confirmed that the federal agency was investigating the incident.

A number of protestors gathered at the scene after the shooting, WBEZ reported, and Border Patrol agents responded by deploying pepper balls and tear gas.

A resident of the Chicago neighborhood, who identified himself as Matthew, told WBEZ that he was inside his home at the time of the shooting when he heard about four shots ring out.

“It’s scary and it’s wrong,” said Matthew, 34.

The Oct. 4 shooting is the latest in a string of incidents involving Border Patrol officers deployed by the Trump administration in several areas around the country, including California, Illinois and Texas.

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Last month, a man, identified as 38-year-old Silverio Villegas González, was shot and killed in the Chicago suburb of Franklin Park after he attempted to flee a traffic stop and struck an ICE official with his car, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. He was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Last week, a shooter opened fire on an ICE field office in Dallas from a nearby rooftop, killing one detainee and critically wounding two others, the Department of Homeland Security said.

The suspected shooter died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound and left behind ammunition inscribed with the words “ANTI ICE” in blue writing, according to officials. FBI Director Kash Patel posted a photo of the ammunition on his X account, saying it indicated an ideological motive. No members of law enforcement were hurt in the attack.