'He doesn't feel safe': Family speaks out after teen with disability is mistakenly detained by federal agents

The mother of a 15-year-old boy who was briefly detained by federal agents at gunpoint in Arleta, California, in a case of mistaken identity recalled the terrifying interaction in an interview Wednesday.

The mother of a 15-year-old California boy who was briefly detained by federal agents at gunpoint in a case of mistaken identity recalled the terrifying interaction in an interview Wednesday.

Andreina Mejia said she was parked at the curb outside Arleta High School on Monday to enroll her daughter. At that time, her son, Baldemar Gutierrez, who has special needs, was with her.

All of a sudden, a truck pulled up behind Mejia’s car and a group of masked men poured out of the truck to surround her and her son, she recalled.

“Somebody approached me, and another person approached [Baldermar], pointing a gun and a Taser,” she said. “They pulled him out and they handcuffed him right away.”

Arleta High School in Arleta, Calif.Google MapsLos Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho described the incident during a news conference Tuesday, adding that surveillance video captured armed agents wearing “police” and “Border Patrol” insignia taking the teen into custody.