30 suspects charged with crimes during ICE protests in LA

LOS ANGELES - Thirty people have been charged in connection with various crimes during the recent immigration protests in downtown Los Angeles.

What we know:

LA County District Attorney Hochman made the announcement during a press conference on Tuesday. He was joined by U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli and California Highway Patrol Southern Division Chief Chris Margaris.

According to Hochman, the alleged offenses include assaulting police officers, using a destructive device to cause injury, and looting.

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In addition, the U.S. Attorney's Office has filed an additional 20 charges.

What they're saying:

"While we will always defend the right to peacefully protest, we will not disregard criminal behavior that puts the lives of officers and others at risk or compromises public safety," Hochman said. 

"We are giving very general highlights of cases for the public to understand what charges individuals have been charged with, also making it very clear to the public and to potential criminals - these are the charges they could be facing if they choose to engage in this criminal conduct."

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Hochman refuted claims that "Los Angeles is under siege," saying that "99% of people who protested did so legitimately, did so peacefully." 

Additionally, Hochman issued a stern warning to suspected criminals. 

"A warning to all those criminals out there who've committed the crimes - we're coming after you. And to the people out there who are thinking about committing crimes, please don't - please heed this warning."

Timeline:

June 8: Adam Palermo, 39, is accused of throwing a large rock at a California Highway Patrol vehicle and lighting an object on fire, throwing it onto a CHP SUV that subsequently caught fire on the 101 Freeway. 

According to Essayli, Palermo's social media account contained a collage of pictures and videos depicting a man holding flying debris, a CHP patrol car on fire, and other damage to CHP patrol cars. He captioned the collage, "Of all the protests I've been involved in, which is well over 100 now, I'm most proud of what I did today."

Palermo faces up to nine years and eight months in state prison if convicted of four felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer, and one felony count each of arson and vandalism.

June 8: William Rubio, 23, is accused of throwing fireworks at officers responding to a gathering of protesters at the intersection of First and Spring streets.

Upon his arrest, officers discovered 20 individual fireworks in his backpack, officials said. These included 11 M-1000 quarter sticks, which Hochman described as "lethal, destructive devices." 

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"Had any of these been thrown in a person's direction, they very well could have killed or maimed that person," Hochman said.

Rubio faces up to eight years and eight months in prison if convicted of two felony counts each of assault upon a peace officer and use of a destructive device to injure or destroy.

June 9: Eddie Lee Baldwin, 39, is accused of being part of a group that forced their way into an Apple Store on South Broadway to loot items.

Baldwin faces up to six years in prison if convicted of one felony count of second-degree commercial burglary.

June 11: Terrill Tillis, 30, was detained at the corner of Third and Spring streets for being out past a Los Angeles city-mandated curfew, allegedly found with a loaded firearm.

Officials said the firearm had 15 rounds in the magazine.

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Tillis faces up to six years and six months in prison if convicted of one felony count of possession of a firearm by a felon and one misdemeanor count of giving or receiving a large-capacity magazine.

June 12: Antonio DeLaRosa, 44, allegedly pointed a green laser at an LAPD helicopter multiple times while in the area of a protest in San Pedro.

"Pointing a laser at an aircraft is not a prank. It's a felony and a serious public safety threat," said LAPD Deputy Chief Hamilton. 

"When a laser hits the cockpit of an LAPD helicopter, it can temporarily blind or disorient the pilot. This creates an extremely dangerous situation where momentary loss of vision can lead to a crash that puts lives at risk on the ground and with our air crews. This behavior is not only reckless, it can blind 
the pilot and cause a catastrophic crash. A crash caused by a laser strike could impact homes, traffic, businesses or peaceful gatherings below."

DeLaRosa faces up to three years in prison if convicted of one felony count of discharge of a laser at an aircraft.

June 14: Angus Johnson is accused of confronting a National Guardsman, heckling him, and then spitting on him. Johnson is accused of spitting on other federal police officers present, according to Essayli.

He faces up to eight years in prison if convicted as charged.

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What's next:

Additional cases related to these protests are currently being presented to the District Attorney’s Office for filing consideration. 

"We have dozens of ongoing investigations and we are continuing our work to identify individuals who engaged in violence," Essayli said. "Their masks, their face shields will not save them. We will find them, and we will go to their home, and we will arrest them."

It has also been noted that some individuals who were arrested were cited and released by law enforcement, and those cases have not yet been presented for review. 

The investigations into these incidents remain ongoing, with the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and the California Highway Patrol leading the efforts. 

Crime and Public SafetyLos AngelesImmigrationNathan Hochman