Yachua Mauricio Flores, 23, an illegal alien from Mexico living in Lincoln Heights, was sentenced and ordered to pay $253,415 in restitution for the June 8, 2025, assault of officers.
Flores pleaded guilty on April 27 to one count of obstructing, impeding, and interfering with law enforcement officers during a civil disorder.
Prosecutors said Flores participated in a riot on the Main Street overpass of Highway 101 as law enforcement officers were trapped below. During those demonstrations, protesters threw rocks, chunks of concrete, street signs, fireworks, and lighted debris at officers.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Central District of California, Flores poured lighter fluid from a plastic water bottle onto an already burning CHP vehicle below the overpass. He also directed another person to ignite and pour flaming liquid onto the same vehicle before adding more lighter fluid.
Flores later helped another person throw an electric scooter over the railing near CHP vehicles and officers below. In his plea agreement, Flores admitted that he knew the officers were beneath the freeway overpass and acknowledged that officers faced substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury at the time, according to U.S. attorney Bill Essayli.
Anti-ICE protests in downtown Los Angeles began in 2025 after federal immigration enforcement operations, including workplace raids, were carried out across the region.
While many other demonstrations remained peaceful, some escalated into clashes with law enforcement, vandalism, and other acts of violence. President Donald Trump at the time deployed the National Guard to quell the protests.
The Trump administration said the operations targeted criminal illegal immigrants and were aimed at keeping communities safe. Federal agents have been targeted while simply doing their jobs and enforcing immigration law, according to federal authorities.