A Paramount man has agreed to plead guilty to a federal charge alleging he threw pieces of cinder block and injured a Border Patrol officer when a protest against immigration enforcement turned into a riot last year, according to court papers.
Jacob Terrazas, 30, will enter his plea at some point to simple assault on a federal officer, a misdemeanor carrying a possible sentence of up to a year behind bars, his plea agreement states.
Terrazas was initially charged in Los Angeles federal court with a felony count of assault on a federal officer making physical contact, but that charge was dropped to the misdemeanor count in his plea agreement, which was signed by all parties on Saturday, Jan. 17.
As part of his plea deal, Terrazas agreed to submit a handwritten note of apology to the federal officer who was struck by a piece of cinder block.
According to the indictment and other court documents, Terrazas was one of several individuals who threw hard objects — including cinder blocks and rocks — at federal agents during a protest on June 7, 2025, near a U.S. Homeland Security Investigations facility in Paramount.
Terrazas used both a makeshift shield and nearby trees for cover and repeatedly rushed toward the agents to throw remnants of cinder blocks at them, court papers allege.
One of the pieces allegedly thrown by Terrazas hit a Border Patrol agent in his left shin, causing him to bleed, the U.S. Justice Department said.
The injured agent removed himself from the front lines to mend his injury, but he returned to the front lines. Another Border Patrol agent was struck by rocks but was uninjured, federal prosecutors said.
Terrazas — who prosecutors say wore a dark beanie and black mask covering the lower half of his face — and others threw items at Border Patrol agents for nearly three hours, authorities allege.
Law enforcement used less-lethal force against Terrazas and other rock throwers. Eventually, Terrazas was arrested.