Two Los Angeles County men face federal charges after they were accused of possessing Molotov cocktails during anti-immigration-enforcement protests in Los Angeles and Paramount, while two Orange County men face charges of assaulting a federal officer during rallies in Santa Ana, authorities said Wednesday, June 11.
Emiliano Garduno Galvez, 23, of Paramount and Wrackkie Quiogue, 27, of Long Beach each face one charge of possession of an unregistered destructive device, federal authorities said. The defendants face a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison if convicted.
Galvez was accused of lighting a Molotov cocktail during a Saturday, June 7, protest in Paramount and tossing it over a wall where Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies were attempting to control a crowd, then running away, said Ciaran McEvoy, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The following day, Quiogue was accused of possessing a Molotov cocktail while holding a lighter near federal buildings in downtown Los Angeles. Quiogue was spotted by police with the device and arrested, but not before throwing the device while attempting to flee, McEvoy said.
Quiogue was ordered to remain detained after his initial court appearance Tuesday, while Galvez was expected to make his first court appearance in the coming days.
In Orange County, Christian Andres Garcia, 32, of Anaheim and Rene Luna, 43, of Orange each face a charge of misdemeanor assault on a federal officer stemming from a Monday protest in Santa Ana.
Both men face up to one year in federal prison if convicted, McEvoy said.
Garcia was accused of throwing objects at law enforcement stationed outside a Homeland Security Investigations office, while Luna allegedly threw water bottles and beer cans at officers elsewhere during the same protest, McEvoy said.
Both men were arrested Monday night, June 9, and were expected to make their initial court appearances in the coming days, the spokesman said.
