Man charged with throwing cinderblocks at Border Patrol during Paramount protest faces 20 years
Man throws rocks at border patrol car in Paramount
Authorities have identified Elpidio Reyna as the suspect who allegedly threw rocks at Border Patrol vehicles in Paramount, injuring an agent.
PARAMOUNT, Calif. - A Paramount man is facing up to 20 years in prison after being charged with assaulting immigration officers at an anti-ICE protest earlier this year.
What we know:
A federal grand jury indicted Jacob Terrazas for allegedly assaulting and injuring a Border Patrol agent at a protest in Paramount on June 7.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, during that protest, Terrazas threw several pieces of concrete at law enforcement. One of those pieces allegedly hit a Border Patrol agent in the shin and injured him. Officials said Terrazas and several others threw rocks and cinderblocks at agents for three hours.
Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli shared video of Terrazas' arrest on X. The video only showed several agents rushing Terrazas and slamming him into the ground. Bits of what appear to be cinderblocks appear to be on the ground in the area.
SUGGESTED: Man accused of hurling concrete blocks at CBP cars in Paramount arrested at US-Mexico border
The backstory:
In June, protests erupted across Southern California, as the Trump administration drastically increased the number of immigration enforcement operations.
Protesters took to the streets of Paramount for days, clashing with law enforcement. At least two other people have been charged with throwing things like concrete blocks and Molotov cocktails at immigration officials.
What they're saying:
"We will not stand by while our brave federal agents and officers get hurt," Essayli said in a press release. "If you injure an official enforcing immigration law, you may serve 20 years in a federal prison cell. It’s just not worth it."
RELATED: LA anti-ICE protest: Federal charges announced in Molotov cocktail case
What's next:
Terrazas will go on trial on Sept. 23.
The Source: Information in this story is from a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice, a post on X from Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli and previous FOX 11 reports.