EXCLUSIVE: Woodland Police Withhold Video They Say Contradicts DHS Account of ICE Vehicle Crash

The Woodland Police Department in California is withholding the video that, according to the department's own public statement, contradicts the Department of Homeland Security's account of an Oct. 20 collision in which a vehicle driven by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent struck a pedestrian, according to records obtained by The Digital Free Press.

In a Nov. 10 response to a California Public Records Act request filed by The Digital Free Press, request No. 26-4132, the department released a six-page dispatch log and its press statements. It withheld all audio, video and images, including body-worn camera and bystander video, 911 audio and radio traffic, and said the city "deems the PRA request complete."

What Woodland Police Say the Video Shows

The collision was reported at 9:38 a.m. near Clover Street and College Street. The department said the vehicle, a Chevrolet Tahoe, was operated by ICE personnel "while conducting an operation in the area." Police Chief Ryan Kinnan said in an Oct. 20 statement, "I've seen the video myself, and I find it very troubling."

DHS said in a statement quoted by KCRA on Oct. 21: "This is false. ICE did NOT hit a pedestrian. An agitator jumped onto the hood of an ICE vehicle and the officer driving applied the brakes. The agitator slid off the hood."

The department answered in an update: "Certain claims made in the DHS statement are inconsistent with the video evidence obtained and reviewed by Woodland Police investigators." Based on that video, it said, the pedestrian "did not jump onto the hood of the vehicle" and the driver "applied the brakes before the collision."

In a later statement quoted by KCRA, an ICE spokesperson said the man "chose to directly impede a law enforcement action and stand in the middle of an active road" and that officers tried to avoid him "while also braking."

What the Dispatch Log Shows

The dispatch log, released with DMV information and a caller's identity redacted, shows the first call came in at 9:37 a.m. One caller reported people pulling up in cars and "getting out in masks." At 9:41 a.m., dispatch logged that a man outside "was hit by a veh." Another entry described a man in the roadway "throwing things at vehs."

One entry records a caller described as an officer with Homeland Security who was driving the black Tahoe. According to the entry, he said the man "threw himself" at the vehicle and that he left the area because of "being swarmed by 3 carloads of ppl."

Another entry says a Woodland officer "saw citz video of subj struck by veh" and that the man had thrown garbage cans at the vehicle before approaching the driver's side window with his camera, after which the Tahoe drove off. An ambulance took the man to Woodland Memorial Hospital at 10:10 a.m.

The Exemptions the Department Cited

The Nov. 10 letter, signed by Police Records Supervisor Theresa Monroy Perez, states: "All audio, video and images are a part of the investigatory file and exempt from public disclosure pursuant to incident as defined under Penal Code § 832.7(b) and are exempt pursuant to the investigatory files exemption under Government Code § 7923.600."

Penal Code section 832.7 governs the confidentiality of peace officer and custodial officer personnel records. Its subdivision (b) lists officer records that must be made public, such as shootings and uses of force causing death or great bodily injury, and allows delays during active criminal investigations. The letter does not say which category applies. Government Code section 7923.600 allows police to withhold investigatory files; section 7923.615 requires them to release basic incident information unless that would endanger a person or an investigation.

An Oct. 28 letter from the department had anticipated a production "beginning on or before Wednesday, November 11, 2026, and thereafter on a rolling production basis." The department has said its criminal investigation will go to the Yolo County District Attorney's Office for review.

TDFP has asked the department to reconsider. A Nov. 11 letter from The Digital Free Press asks it to clarify or withdraw the Penal Code basis, release core incident information, say whether the video was shown to anyone outside the department, give a timeline and confirm the recordings are preserved. TDFP is awaiting a response.

Sources: City of Woodland/Woodland Police Department determination letter, Nov. 10, 2026, and records produced in response to The Digital Free Press's California Public Records Act request No. 26-4132 (dispatch log and press statements); the department's Oct. 28, 2026, letter on the same request; Woodland Police Department, "Update on October 20, 2026 Incident" (https://www.facebook.com/WoodlandPD/posts/for-immediate-release-update-on-october-20-2026-incidentla-versi%C3%B3n-en-espa%C3%B1ol-de/1420381323598652/); KCRA, "DHS, Woodland police clash over federal vehicle collision" (https://www.kcra.com/article/woodland-dhs-dispute-ice-vehicle-collision/74223061), quoting the DHS and ICE statements; California Penal Code § 832.7 (https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=PEN&sectionNum=832.7); Government Code § 7923.600 (https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=GOV&sectionNum=7923.600) and § 7923.615 (https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=GOV&sectionNum=7923.615). Cover photo: Downtown Woodland, California, by Bluewing405, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).