LOS ANGELES (KTLA) – A 79-year-old Van Nuys car wash proprietor has initiated a federal civil rights lawsuit, seeking $50 million after claiming that he was violently body slammed and restrained by federal agents during an immigration raid at his establishment on Sept. 9. The lawsuit identifies the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement as defendants.

Rafie Ollah Shouhed, a veteran owner of Valley Car Wash, stated he was on his premises when masked agents invaded the site. Surveillance footage examined by Nexstar’s KTLA depicts a federal agent pushing Shouhed to the floor within a corridor.

Shouhed conveyed to KTLA that he stepped outside to converse with the agents, showing proof of legal work authorization for his employees, but was instead cursed at, pushed, and body slammed to the ground. The civil rights lawsuit claims three agents then mounted his back, with one placing a knee on his neck while others held his arms. 

“They apprehended one of my workers, and I told them, wait, some of these individuals have papers, they have the documentation here. The only response I received was, ‘You don’t F with ICE. We are here,’ and they threw me to the floor … and three of them, they jumped on me and sat on me,” Shouhed recounted to KTLA in an earlier interview.

Shouhed claims he told agents he had recently undergone heart surgery, had three stents, and could not breathe, but that his pleas were ignored.

He was handcuffed, taken to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles, and held for nearly 12 hours without medical care, he alleges. Even after agents admitted he was a U.S. citizen, Shouhed claims he was refused any phone communication with his family and was released without charges. 

Following his release, Shouhed received treatment at a local hospital for multiple fractured ribs, elbow injuries, bruises, and symptoms of a traumatic brain injury post-concussion. He reports ongoing physical and mental distress.

Attorney V. James DeSimone, who filed the claim on Shouhed’s behalf, said in a statement that federal agents’ actions were “outrageous and unlawful” and violated both federal and California civil rights laws. 

The $50 million claim alleges assault, battery, violation of the California Bane Act, deliberate indifference to a serious medical condition, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and other torts. It also claims that DHS, ICE, and CBP maintain policies that tolerate the use of excessive force.

Shouhed’s family said five of his employees were also detained during the raid. 

The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that the operation targeted five undocumented immigrants and that Shouhed, a U.S. citizen, was arrested for allegedly assaulting and impeding a federal officer.