Carlsbad police describe panga boat landing, limits under SB 54 and ongoing officer-involved shooting probe

Chief of Police Christy Calderwood told the Community Police Engagement Commission that a panga boat came ashore near Carlsbad Village Drive at Ocean Street on April 13 and witnesses saw occupants running toward waiting vehicles. "When our officers arrived, all the occupants from the boat had left the scene," Calderwood said.

Calderwood explained legal limits on the department's role in immigration enforcement, referencing department policy 4-28 and California's SB 54 (the California Values Act), saying officers "shall not detain any individual for any length of time for a civil violation of federal immigration laws." She described the department's practice of notifying supervisors and contacting Border Patrol when appropriate; Border Patrol assumed the investigation of the April 13 landing and removed the boat from the beach.

When asked how many people were on the panga, Calderwood said she had heard estimates of between 12 and 15 occupants. She described other recent arrivals in which boats were found at night with no occupants present and said Border Patrol and other federal agencies generally lead investigations of these incidents.

Calderwood also provided an overview of a March 29 officer-involved shooting. She said the officer, identified in the presentation as Mike McKinney, was unexpectedly attacked—"brutally assaulted" with a skateboard—and an officer-involved shooting occurred during the subsequent attempt to detain the suspect. The suspect, Calderwood said, was already out on bond from a separate December arrest by San Diego police and is now in custody on charges including attempted murder of a police officer; the incident remains under investigation.

Calderwood said the department will provide updates after the district attorney completes its review and that officers involved are receiving peer support and time to recover. She also announced the department plans to hold "Coffee with the Chief" outreach events across council districts beginning as early as May.

Commissioners asked clarifying questions about the OIS timeline, the location of the incident (near Smart & Final parking lot), whether the suspect had a local address and whether the panga incident appeared organized; Calderwood confirmed the suspect did not have a Carlsbad address and said the presence of vehicles to pick up occupants suggested organization, but border-response and criminal investigations are handled by the appropriate agencies.