In FITCHBURG, Mass., a dramatic encounter unfolded involving a Massachusetts man, Carlos Zapata, who was captured on video seemingly experiencing a seizure while grappling with immigration officers. During the struggle, Zapata clung to his wife and their distressed toddler, later claiming he blacked out when agents forcefully struck him and applied pressure to his neck.

Contrarily, the Department of Homeland Security suggested that Zapata simulated the medical crisis, allegedly to prevent the arrest of his wife, who faced accusations of stabbing a co-worker with scissors.

Carlos Zapata, 24, explained to The Boston Globe, in Spanish, “I held onto my wife because they intended to take her away.” His comments came a day after the chaotic traffic stop led to his wife’s detention.

The incident drew attention as onlookers shouted and recorded the scene while Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers encircled the family’s vehicle on a Thursday morning in Fitchburg, approximately 40 miles northwest of Boston. The officers were targeting Juliana Milena Ojeda-Montoya, who was with her husband and their 1½-year-old daughter, according to a Homeland Security statement.

Footage that circulated widely shows Zapata in the driver’s seat, his body convulsing and his eyes rolling back, as masked agents reached into the car.

“He’s having a seizure!” bystanders can be heard shouting.

Zapata told the newspaper that agents were pushing him and his wife together with the child between them, and that he blacked out after agents pressed on his neck.

“I had convulsions or something. I don’t know what they did to me,” he said. When he regained consciousness, he said, agents were handcuffing him.

Zapata said he and his wife are from Ecuador and entered the country unlawfully several years ago. They have since applied for asylum in a case that is pending and are authorized to work, he said. He was driving his wife to her job at Burger King when they were stopped, he said.

Homeland Security responded to the video Friday, saying: “Imagine FAKING a seizure to help a criminal escape justice,” in a post on social media.

“Medical personnel found there was no legitimate medical emergency,” Tricia McLaughlin, the department’s assistant secretary, said in a news release. “He was even caught on video on his feet and coherent moments later.”

The department said officers were conducting a targeted operation to arrest Ojeda-Montoya for the alleged scissor stabbing and for throwing a trash can at her coworker in August. She was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, the Globe reported.

Ojeda-Montoya was in custody pending removal proceedings, according to Homeland Security.