Elderly American Slammed by Federal Agents in Shocking Van Nuys Incident
Van Nuys, CA – A surveillance video capturing a violent confrontation outside a local car wash has left the community in shock and raised serious questions about federal law enforcement practices. The footage shows federal agents forcefully body-slamming 79-year-old American citizen Rafi Shahad in what witnesses are calling a brutal and unprovoked attack.
The incident reportedly occurred two weeks ago, just outside Shahad’s family-owned car wash. According to Shahad, the altercation began after he approached agents inside his business, seeking to understand why they were there. What followed was a violent escalation that left the elderly man severely injured.
“I have a heart condition. Three big people were sitting on my back, the way they tore me down, sitting on me,” Shahad recounted. “I asked them to let me go, but they paid no attention.”
Shahad says the agents ignored his protests, including attempts to explain that his employees were legally authorized to be on the job. He claims that at least five of his staff members were handcuffed and taken away despite their compliance. “I screamed that I am an American citizen,” Shahad said, recalling the terrifying ordeal. “The only words they said were, ‘You do not epitize.’”
The physical toll on Shahad was severe. He suffered multiple broken ribs, brain trauma from being slammed headfirst into the ground, and deep bruising and swelling from the aggressive restraint. He was held at a federal detention center for nearly twelve hours before finally being released and rushed to the hospital by his family.
Shahad’s lawyer has since filed a civil rights claim seeking $50 million in damages, citing excessive force and the life-threatening risk posed to an elderly man with a known heart condition.
Shahad’s wife, visibly shaken, described the ordeal as unbearable. “I didn’t even know where he was for hours,” she said. “With his heart condition, the way they handled him, they could have very easily caused his death.”
The incident has ignited outrage among local residents and civil rights advocates, who are demanding answers from federal authorities. Shahad’s case raises pressing questions about accountability, use of force, and the protection of vulnerable citizens in confrontations with law enforcement.
As investigations continue, the Van Nuys community—and the nation—waits for justice for a 79-year-old man whose life was nearly shattered outside the very business he built with his own hands.
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