In brief
Emiliano Garduno Galvez, a Mexican national, pleaded guilty to charges connected to his actions during a protest on June 7, where he threw a Molotov cocktail at Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies. The incident occurred amid a series of protests regarding immigration raids in the area. Galvez is set to be sentenced on January 30, facing potential imprisonment of up to 15 years.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A 23-year-old man has pleaded guilty to throwing a Molotov cocktail at Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies during protests against immigration raids across the region last spring.Emiliano Garduno Galvez, a Mexican national who authorities say is in the U.S. illegally, pleaded guilty Wednesday to possessing an unregistered destructive device and civil disorder in relation to his actions on June 7 in Paramount, a city near Los Angeles. He is scheduled for sentencing on January 30 and could face up to 15 years in prison.On the day of the incident, sheriff’s deputies responded to a large protest at a Home Depot where demonstrators were throwing rocks and other items. According to the plea agreement published by the Los Angeles Times, Galvez admitted to igniting the Molotov cocktail and throwing it toward the deputies while hiding behind a wall.The incendiary device landed in a grassy area near a protester and about 15 feet from the deputies. Galvez reportedly ran away after throwing the device, which he intended to use to obstruct the deputies who were lawfully performing their duties.While many protests against the immigration crackdown were peaceful, some escalated into violent clashes with police, resulting in hundreds of arrests and the deployment of chemical irritants to disperse crowds.
