Two Los Angeles County men have been charged by federal authorities with possessing Molotov cocktails during recent immigration enforcement demonstrations in downtown Los Angeles and Paramount.
One of the men is accused of throwing a flaming Molotov cocktail at Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies Saturday in Paramount, where a crowd gathered earlier in the day near a staging area for federal agents preparing for immigration enforcement operations. Emiliano Garduno Galvez, 23, of Paramount, lit and threw the firebomb over a wall where deputies were conducting crowd control.
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A news release from the Department of Justice did not indicate whether anyone was injured by the Molotov cocktail.
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SIGN UP A second man — identified by authorities as Wrackkie Quiogue, 27, of Long Beach — was approached by police who saw him holding a Molotov cocktail and lighter during a demonstration near federal buildings Sunday in downtown Los Angeles. Police arrested the man, who allegedly threw the firebomb as he tried to run, federal authorities said.
Both men, who are in custody, were charged with possession of an unregistered destructive device, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.
Quiogue was detained Tuesday at his initial court appearance. Galvez first court appearance is set for sometime in the next few days, the DOJ said.
It was not immediately clear whether they have attorneys.
U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said the cases are just two of many the law enforcement agencies are investigating in connection with violence that broke out over the weekend and this week.
The attacks occurred during what have been days of largely peaceful demonstrations, mostly in downtown Los Angeles, over federal immigration enforcement operations. Local law enforcement authorities have reported hundreds of arrests since the weekend, including more than 200 Tuesday night and Wednesday, most for unlawful assembly and curfew violations in downtown Los Angeles.
On Monday night, more than 100 arrests were reported by the LAPD, including several for looting and vandalism in downtown LA. A curfew was in effect Tuesday night into Wednesday morning for a 1 square mile of downtown LA in a city of 4 million people that encompasses about 500 square miles.
