Calif.: South L.A. restaurateur detained by ICE, faces deportation following gun arrest and parole violation
OAN Staff Katherine Mosack and Brooke Mallory
3:20 PM – Tuesday, May 12, 2026
Federal immigration agents took Carlos Lool, the chef and proprietor behind the acclaimed South Los Angeles eateries La Granja Rotisserie and Fuego Rotisserie, into custody this past weekend.
The arrest reportedly occurred while Lool was picking up supplies for his businesses, a scene his girlfriend and business partner, Jenna Lawrence, later described to ABC7.
“They yanked him out of the car. They had him on the floor. They yanked me back, they pulled out their guns and then they took him,” Lawrence recalled.
Lool now faces the threat of deportation following an intervention by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) triggered by a report from a former disgruntled employee. The basis for his current legal jeopardy stems from a nearly 30-year-old criminal conviction in Connecticut dating back to 1997, for which he had previously served time.
According to Lawrence, the former employee contacted authorities to report that there was a firearm inside the restaurant. Lawrence also confirmed the presence of the weapon, though she argued that it was kept on the premises simply for protection. Nonetheless, the possession of a firearm constituted a direct violation of Lool’s parole terms and led to his recent detainment.
“We’re in a tough neighborhood,” she said. “We have been robbed. We constantly have people breaking windows, [and] jumping over the fence.”
“He’s been in this country. His kids are here,” Lawrence told ABC7. “It’s just a lot and it’s very overwhelming … and he doesn’t have his clothes, no cell phone, no computer — and we own businesses. We’re just getting deeper and deeper in a hole because he’s being deported.”
ICE Los Angeles announced the arrest on social media on Tuesday.
“ICE Los Angeles arrested Frederick Carlos Lool Sanchez of Guatemala, May 9, following a targeted operation in South L.A. Lool is a dangerous, criminal illegal alien with previous arrests for assault, forging fake identification, criminal threats, and firearms violations,” the agency said. “ICE issued detainers for Lool, but California sanctuary policies prevented local authorities from honoring them.”
“Lool is currently in ICE custody pending removal from the U.S. a fourth time,” ICE added.
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