A chaotic scene unfolded in San Diego’s City Heights neighborhood Thursday as activists and protesters descended on an area where federal agents had been spotted. The incident unfolded in the intersection of Fairmount and Maple in the early afternoon. People who carry out community patrols acro ss San Diego to warn residents of the possible presence of ICE agents said they received tips late that morning that agents were there, and headed to the area. “We saw at least six different ICE vehicles roaming, swarming the area, and that is an act of hostility and intimidation,” said Benjamin Prado, of Union Del Barrio, an organization that does those patrols. “We began to document and demand that they leave our communities.” ICE directed questions to Customs and Border Protection, who said they were looking into the incident but did not share specifics on what the agents were doing. One resident, who asked not to be identified, said it all began when the agents’ truck wouldn’t start and they were waiting for a tow. Videos show dozens of people screaming, using bullhorns and sirens. That resident called it “a melee” and said the people encroaching on his lawn became confrontational, so he called San Diego police. SDPD said they received the call around 1:54 p.m. over the crowd forming around a federal vehicle, noting that a window had been broken on the truck. Police said it was unknown who broke the window or how, but two witnesses said it was someone in the crowd with a slingshot. “SDPD officers responded to the scene and worked to maintain the peace. The federal agents left shortly after SDPD officers arrived,” San Diego police said in a statement. “SDPD was on scene for approximately 20 minutes until the vehicle had been towed.” Some said they were upset to see San Diego police at the scene at all, with videos showing people in the crowd chanting that SDPD was assisting ICE. SDPD said they were not participating in federal immigration enforcement, in accordance with California law that bars the use of state and local law enforcement resources in that capacity.   A few who gathered in the street can be heard on video asking San Diego police officers for their badge numbers. Some protesters said they were frustrated at what appeared to be the officers’ refusal. The SDPD policy manual says, “Officers shall furnish their names and Department member identification numbers to any person requesting this information when they are on duty or while representing the Department in an official capacity, except when the withholding of such information is necessary for the performance of police duties or is authorized by the proper authority.” Of one such encounter captured on video, SDPD said in a statement the officer “was focused on safely managing the chaotic scene. It is clear from the video that there are multiple people yelling, making it difficult for anyone to reasonably engage and respond. His name is clearly displayed on the front of his uniform.” “If they’re there to protect and serve, then they need to tell the agents to leave our communities,” Prado said, adding that he believed no one was detained as the incident unfolded. “My block isn’t like this. This is a nice, quiet little neighborhood,” said one neighbor, who also asked not to be identified. She said she’s lived in the area for decades and watched the incident unfold before heading inside, afraid it would escalate. “I don’t know which ones were agitators and which ones weren’t.” “It’s kind of scary, but our world right now is scary, because this is supposed to be the land of the free,” she continued. “Everybody’s got rights.” ...read more read less