Federal immigration authorities arresting a woman in downtown Los Angeles had their vehicle towed away by a tow truck driver who is accused of filming and laughing as one officer chased after him, according to court documents.

The tow truck driver, 33, of South Los Angeles, was arrested Sept. 2 on a charge of stealing government property, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said in a news release.

Information on his legal representation was not available Tuesday afternoon.

The man working for a towing company interfered with the immigration arrest, according to federal prosecutors, at a luxury apartment complex on Aug. 15, when officers were detaining a 23-year-old Colombia woman accused of living in Los Angeles illegally.

A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportation officer, a special agent with Homeland Security Investigations and a deputy U.S. Marshal were making the arrest at the Da Vinci Apartments, an HSI special agent wrote in an affidavit.

The three officers were boxing in the woman’s vehicle with two government vehicles to “prevent her from escaping” the exit of the apartment complex’s parking area when the tow truck driver approached, prosecutors said.

The man pressed the woman’s car door onto the ICE officer “as he was attempting to arrest” her, according to the affidavit.

“Police, get back,” the ICE officer warned, the filing says, and added: “You’re going to get arrested.”

The man was told by the U.S. Marshal that a federal investigation was underway and then started swearing at them, the affidavit says.

After swearing, the man warned the officers, according to prosecutors, that “Something was going to happen” to them.

After another man walked over and tried to involve himself in the woman’s arrest, prosecutors said the tow truck driver got in his tow truck and started towing away one of the officers’ cars, which had emergency lights activated.

An Instagram post with footage of the incident was shared by the U.S. Attorney’s Office to X, formerly known as Twitter, on Sept. 2.

The video shows a gray, unmarked government vehicle with flashing lights being towed from the apartment complex with an officer following behind the vehicle.

The affidavit says the ICE officer “chased the tow truck on foot, and could see (the man) laughing and recording him on (his) cellular phone.”

The ICE officer stopped his pursuit after the tow truck driver turned onto another street, according to the filing.

The government’s vehicle still had the keys inside the car as well as a gun secured in a safe when the man towed it, according to prosecutors.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office did not say whether the vehicle was located.

Authorities did find the man’s tow truck at the Da Vinci apartments two days later, prosecutors said. It was parked in a residential space.

If he is found guilty of theft of government property, he could face up to 10 years in prison, according to prosecutors.

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