ACLU of Oregon files DHS complaint over Hillsboro tire puncture
Video from a Tesla shows an agent stabbing a tire during a pursuit that started in a Safeway parking lot.
By Dominic Foster ·
The ACLU of Oregon submitted a complaint to the Department of Homeland Security on Oct. 30, attaching video evidence of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent puncturing the tire of a vehicle in Hillsboro.
The incident occurred just before 7 a.m. on Oct. 7. A couple in a Tesla followed what they identified as an ICE vehicle from their home in Beaverton into the Safeway parking lot at Tanasbourne Village. The pair remained anonymous in the filing due to concerns about retaliation.
Kelly Simon, the legal director for the ACLU of Oregon, stated that the couple was attempting to leave after noticing masked officers in vests labeled ICE interacting with other cars. Simon said the agents yelled that they were ICE and blew whistles. The couple’s car cameras captured the entire sequence.
Simon said the agents appeared to notice the recording and began engaging the vehicle. The couple did not receive verbal instructions to stop but chose to drive away out of fear. The video shows an agent chasing the Tesla with a shopping cart.
After leaving the lot, the couple was followed onto Stucki Avenue. An ICE vehicle activated its lights and boxed in the Tesla. The footage shows an agent approaching the car from behind and stabbing the tire repeatedly until it went flat. The agents then departed the scene.
The couple pulled over and called 911. Simon described the encounter as chilling, noting that a masked federal officer was moving toward them physically without clear intent. She said, “People are afraid that what they’ve seen on the news is going to happen to them. And understandably so.”
Hillsboro Police confirmed receiving a report regarding the incident. The department said it could not reach ICE to verify the facts. The City of Hillsboro maintains a public document list of reported ICE incidents, which includes this case.
