A 39-year-old Los Angeles man suspected of throwing rocks and a flaming object at California Highway Patrol officers and vehicles on the 101 freeway during a demonstration in downtown Los Angeles earlier this week has been arrested, the CHP announced.
The man was arrested on Friday, June 13, on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon against a peace officer. Officers arrested him at his home in Los Angeles, where they found evidence of the crime, according to the CHP.
An anti-immigration enforcement protest that began in downtown Los Angeles on June 8 moved onto the 101 freeway, prompting CHP officers to respond. As the officers tried to clear protesters off of the freeway, the CHP says the man threw rocks at officers and vehicles from an overcrossing above the freeway and then lit an object on fire and dropped it onto a CHP patrol vehicle below, which caught on fire. In a photo from the CHP, the Chevrolet SUV could be seen charred and with a damaged windshield.
Protests have been ongoing in the area since June 6, when widespread immigration enforcement raids began to take place across the city. While many demonstrations remained peaceful, rocks, bottles and other objects being thrown at law enforcement officers have been cited as reason for continued law enforcement presence at the protests.
Officers then had to put themselves in the path of rocks and bottles being thrown in order to put out the fire, according to a release from the CHP.
“Violent and deliberate attacks on law enforcement will not be tolerated in California. Period,” Governor Gavin Newsom said of the arrest in a news release from the CHP. “I’m grateful to the state investigators and law enforcement who tracked down this suspect and are continuing to uphold the rule of law.”
The man was identified by CHP detectives with assistance from the public, according to the agency. Potential charges could include assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer, arson, and vandalism, according to the CHP.