Politics
Trump DOJ Announces Charges Against LA Riot Organizers
The U.S. Department of Justice has started the process of filing federal charges against organizers of the riots and unrest that have plagued Los Angeles on a near nightly basis for going on two weeks.
Bill Essayli, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, announced earlier this week that federal charges are being filed against a man who handed out boxes of heavy duty face shields during the most violent night of rioting on June 9. Footage captured by a local Fox affiliate shows a man in a black pickup truck dropping off the equipment to rioters.
“No, those are masks. So people are prepping for some sort of altercation with police as we speak,” Fox Los Angeles reporter Matthew Seedorff remarked at the time. “You probably don’t put on a mask unless you have a plan of not wanting somebody to see your face,” he added.
On June 12, agents with the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office arrested Alejandro Theodoro Orellana, who was identified as the driver of the pickup truck. Orellana was arrested on an allegation of Conspiracy to Commit Civil Disorders (18 USC 371) for distributing face shields to suspected rioters, Essayli posted on X.
“We are moving quickly to identify and arrest those involved in organizing and/or supporting civil disorder in Los Angeles,” he added.
Alejandro Theodoro Orellana Photo: FBI Los Angeles
The DOJ also announced charges against a man accused of tossing large rocks and explosive devices at police officers on the U.S. Route 101 Freeway on June 9. Adam Palermo, 39, is facing four felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer and one felony count each of arson and vandalism in Los Angeles.
On June 8, at about 7 p.m., Palermo is accused of throwing a large rock at a California Highway Patrol vehicle from an overpass on the 101 Freeway. He also allegedly lit an object on fire and threw it onto a CHP SUV that was parked on the freeway. The vehicle later caught fire, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced.
Palermo is also facing federal charges in connection with the incident, Essayli announced at a press conference. Palermo posted images on his social media account containing a collage of photos and videos showing damage to California Highway Patrol cars with a caption reading, “All of the protests I’ve been involved in, which is well over 100 now, I’m most proud of what I did today,” Essayli said.
