Federal Agents Escort Toddler from Father's Custody in Los Angeles Immigration Operation

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In a dramatic incident in Los Angeles, federal agents conducting an immigration enforcement operation found themselves at the center of controversy after allegedly driving off with a U.S. citizen’s vehicle, unaware that his 1-year-old daughter was still in the backseat. This event, which took place last week, has attracted significant media attention and public protest.

The confrontation unfolded on November 4 outside a Home Depot in the Cypress Park area. According to reports, 32-year-old Dennis Quinonez had just stepped out of his SUV armed with a hammer and allegedly began throwing rocks at the federal agents. Witnesses described a tense scene as Quinonez attempted to confront the agents.

Federal officials have detailed their version of events in a criminal complaint against Quinonez. As the agents prepared to leave, they claim to have observed him placing the hammer in his vehicle’s trunk before throwing objects, purportedly rocks, at them. In response, the agents maneuvered their vehicles to block Quinonez’s SUV, attempting to prevent his departure.

As the situation escalated, Quinonez reportedly exited his vehicle, alerting the agents to the presence of his daughter in the backseat. Despite his protests, the agents proceeded to drive off with the child still inside, according to witnesses at the scene.

In the complaint, agents said that a crowd began to gather, prompting them to move Quinonez and his daughter to a different location in an attempt to keep them together, but one of the agents spotted a handgun wrapped in a blue bandana as he was putting the child’s father into the seat of his SUV.

Agents then drove Quinonez and his daughter separately to another location, where a search of the vehicle revealed that the gun, reportedly stolen out of New York State, was loaded with five rounds of ammunition, the complaint alleges.

Federal officials said Quinonez, who reportedly has a 2014 conviction for domestic violence in Los Angeles County and cannot legally have a gun, claimed the firearm belongs to a friend. Authorities also said he admitted to throwing rocks at the agents because he believed they were Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.

“He was arrested for assault, and during his arrest, a pistol was found in his car that is reported stolen out of the state of New York,” a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told The Times. “The individual has an active warrant for property damage.”

Federal agents drove off with the toddler of a detained U.S. citizen during an immigration enforcement operation at a Home Depot in Cypress Park on Nov. 4, 2025. (Google Maps)

Linda Toczylowski, with the Immigrant Defenders Law Center, told the outlet that heavily armed federal agents put the toddler in an extremely dangerous situation.

“It should shock everyone’s conscience that we have masked armed men behaving like that with a U.S. citizen father and a toddler who were just going to run an errand at Home Depot on a random Tuesday,” she said.

The child has since been returned to family members, though the girl’s grandmother, Maria Avalos, who watched the video of the ordeal, said the footage was horrible.

In a statement obtained by MSNBC reporter Jacob Soboroff, Avalos said, “When I picked up my granddaughter from federal agents, she had a dirty diaper, a bruise on her face, and was developing a rash. She was exhausted and cried.”

A little less than an hour later, Gov. Gavin Newsom reposted the MSNBC story, saying only, “This is sick.”

Quinonez has since been charged by federal authorities with the unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a person previously convicted of domestic violence. It’s unclear if he remains in custody.

Five other undocumented immigrants were also arrested outside the Home Depot, with DHS officials telling the L.A. Times that their criminal records included DUI, driving without a license and a prior deportation from the U.S.