The arrest Thursday morning of a man in East Los Angeles who allegedly handed out face shields during anti-ICE protests earlier this week sparked a backlash from residents toward law enforcement.
FBI agents were sent to arrest Alejandro Theodoro Orellana for allegedly “distributing face shields to suspected rioters” earlier this week, U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli posted on X, along with video of a man handing out gear to protesters from the back of a pickup truck.
“We are moving quickly to identify and arrest those involved in organizing and/or supporting civil disorder in Los Angeles,” Essayli stated in the post.
A resident living in the area of East 6th Street and South Rowan Avenue said he awoke to the sound of flash bangs and calls from authorities to stay indoors.
The resident told KTLA’s Jacqueline Sarkissian that he did not know Orellana very well but was unaware of any criminal record he may have.
“No, nothing of the sort. Nothing at all. No one in this block have I heard any, you know, bad news from or any gossip,” the resident said.
When he was speaking to KTLA, the resident was not yet aware of why authorities had arrested Orellana.
Video recorded by Citizen.com showed a small crowd shouting at law enforcement near East 6th Street and South Ditman Avenue around 6:30 a.m.
One person is seen using a bullhorn while another is heard shouting explitives at deputies, calling them “F—— Nazis” and telling them to “Get the F— out of here.”
At one point, one of the deputies walked toward a woman and motioned to her to move away from the patrol vehicle. He then went back to the SUV and stood with the second deputy, but they did not appear to engage in any dialogue with the group.
Law enforcement left the area around 6:45 a.m. after making the arrest.