Analysis by Josh Campbell, CNN

Mere hours after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot a suspect last month – wounding a member of the arrest team in the process – the top federal prosecutor in Los Angeles effectively exonerated the agent who opened fire.

“PSA: A vehicle is a deadly weapon,” First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli wrote in a social media post. “Using it against law enforcement justifies their use of deadly force in self-defense.”

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Essayli alleged the man who was shot had rammed his car into vehicles driven by immigration agents trying to arrest him, “causing agents to worry for their safety,” and prompting one of them to discharge his weapon, wounding the man and, inadvertently, a deputy US marshal.

Under policy, immigration agents can us

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