- 8 months ago
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman held a press briefing.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Thank you very much. My name is Nathan Hockman. I'm the District Attorney of Los Angeles County.
00:10You will hear speaking today the United States Attorney, Bill Asaley. We will also have speaking
00:16the California Highway Patrol Southern Division Chief, Chris Margaris. We will also have Los
00:23Angeles Police Department Deputy Chief, Alan Hamilton. Also up here amongst us are representatives
00:31from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. We have members from the District Attorney's
00:37Office, including our Charge Evaluation Division Deputy Head, or Head Deputy Alva Lynn, Deputy
00:44District Attorney Michael Blake of the Crimes Against Peace Officers Division. We are here
00:51to announce additional charges beyond the ones that we presented at our original press conference.
00:57In announcing these charges, I want to be crystal clear as I am at every one of these conferences.
01:03Charges are not evidence. Every defendant we're going to be discussing is presumed innocent until
01:10and unless proven by legally admissible evidence beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
01:16So if you hear us describing anything about a particular case, it is not evidence. These statements
01:24themselves will not be used in a court of law. Evidence will be presented to a judge or a jury
01:31in an appropriate time to convict someone beyond a reasonable doubt.
01:36So first I'd like to start out with a thank you. I want to start out with a thank you because I think
01:41it's incredibly important to thank the hundreds of law enforcement officers that have come
01:47to Los Angeles at this important time and to Los Angeles County. And it's not just the Los Angeles
01:54Sheriff's Department which has done incredible work or the Los Angeles Police Department or the
01:59California Highway Patrol. But we've also been joined by the ATF and we have the special assistant in
02:06charge, the special agent in charge, excuse me, Kenny Cooper from the ATF who has joined us today.
02:15We've also been supported by the FBI. We've also been supported by 45 local law enforcement agencies
02:22throughout this county. It has been a tremendous amount of work to keep order to allow protests to
02:30occur. Those protests have grown from hundreds of people to thousands of people to tens of thousands
02:37of people to hundreds of thousands of people. And I'm here to tell you that 99.99 percent of the people
02:47who protested did so lawfully, did so expressing their First Amendment rights as is tradition in this
02:55country, voicing their thoughts, their opposition, their whatever to the government as they are allowed
03:02to in this country. This right, we come to appreciate this right when we see it being denied in other
03:10countries. And we realize what an incredibly valuable constitutional right we have to protest against
03:17anything we find disagreeable in our system, but to do it absolutely lawfully. But what you'll hear, and I gave you
03:26this, this, this initial idea when we had our first press conference on it, Mr. Asali gave additional thoughts with
03:34respect to the federal charges that have been brought. The LA City Attorney's Office has given her additional thoughts with city
03:42attorney charges that have been brought against a relatively small segment. And when I say relatively
03:48small segment of people who committed criminal violations, these are people for whom the protest was a cover.
03:56They weren't interested in protesting. They weren't interested in joining the tens of thousands or hundreds of
04:02thousands of people. They wanted to legitimately voice their concerns about what's going on in society.
04:08This smaller group, which numbers probably in the hundreds, not even in the thousands, this group wanted to commit crimes.
04:17They looked at the protests as a cover, an opportunity to go ahead and apply their illegal trade and commit a whole
04:26variety of crimes that in many ways has done a huge disservice to the legitimate protesters out there.
04:34And what you're going to hear is that sometimes those legitimate protesters have reared up their heads and
04:42helped us identify these criminals as well they should. Because the media would only like to focus quite
04:50candidly on the fireworks being exploded, on the motorcycles running into law enforcement, on the
04:57incredible graffiti that is in many ways destroyed or certainly desecrated our historic buildings,
05:05on other situations. And you'll hear some of these additional charges being described today of these few
05:11numbers of people who want to make it seem like Los Angeles is under siege. It is not. As I said before, 99.9%
05:21percent or 99% of people who protested did so legitimately did so peacefully. And by the way,
05:30as a percentage of people in Los Angeles County, we have close to 11 million people in the county.
05:3710% would be 1.1 million people. 1% is 110,000 people. We had one half of 1% of the people in this
05:47county at most were protesting at all. So let's put that number back in context. 99.9% of people in this
06:00county didn't protest at all. Yet if you look at the media, the social media, the podcast, you would
06:07assume by their focus and they're repeating over and over and over again of what's going on, that Los
06:13Angeles was a war zone, no different than some real war zones across this world. Nothing could
06:19be further from the truth. But we're going to announce additional charges today, both myself,
06:26Mr. Saleh, the CHP and the LAPD, to give you an idea of the types of crimes that have been committed
06:32and will absolutely be prosecuted. The first, well, I will announce five of them. Mr. Saleh will
06:38announce several others. The first one I want to focus on is by an individual named William Rubio.
06:46William Rubio is 23 years old. He has been charged with two felony counts of assault upon a police
06:53officer and two felony counts of using a destructive device device to injure or destroy. Now, let me
07:00describe the charges that have been alleged against Mr. Rubio. On the night of June 8th,
07:07there was a dumpster that was set on fire at 1st and Spring Street. Undercover officers observed
07:15Mr. Rubio allegedly throwing fireworks at the Los Angeles Fire Department and the Los Angeles Police
07:22Department personnel who responded to put the fire out. Mr. Rubio left the scene but was spotted 30
07:30minutes later, allegedly throwing fireworks at Los Angeles Police Department motor officers who were on
07:37a skirmish line. He was arrested and when he was arrested in his backpack, they found 20 individual
07:45fireworks. These included 11 M1000 quarter sticks. For anyone who understands fireworks, you have fireworks
07:54fireworks that range from the least least explosive, an M80, an M100. These were 11 M1000 fire sticks, these quarter sticks.
08:05These quarter sticks are basically a quarter stick of dynamite. These are lethal devices, destructive devices. And had any of these been
08:15thrown in a person's direction. They very well could have killed or maimed that person. That was what Mr. Rubio was
08:23doing. The night of Rubio faces up to eight years and eight months in prison. The second case involves
08:30Terrell Tillis, 30 years old. He's been charged with one felony count of possession of a firearm by a felony and one misdemeanor
08:39a firearm by a felony and one misdemeanor. He's been charged with one felony and one misdemeanor. On the
08:44night of June 11th, Mr. Tillis was in downtown Los Angeles and he was detained for being out past a Los Angeles
08:52city mandated curfew. He allegedly had this loaded firearm with him. It had 15 rounds in the magazine. If convicted
09:01as charged, Mr. Tillis is facing up to six years and six months in prison. Third defendant, Antonia
09:09De La Rosa, age 44. He's been charged with one felony count of discharging a laser at an aircraft.
09:17On the night of June 12th, Mr. De La Rosa has been alleged to be in the area of a protest in San
09:24Pedro. He allegedly pointed a green laser at a Los Angeles Police Department helicopter several times.
09:32If convicted as charged, he faces up to three years in prison.
09:36Fourth defendant, Eddie Lee Baldwin, age 39. He has been charged with one felony count of second
09:44degree commercial burglary. On the night of June 9th, Mr. Baldwin is accused of being among many
09:51dozens of people who forced their way into an Apple store in downtown Los Angeles to loot that store.
09:58He faces up to six years in prison. And the fifth defendant is Adam Palermo. I will describe that
10:06case. Mr. Assali will also describe the federal aspects of that case. Mr. Palermo, and he is featured in
10:15the video you have before you as well, was an individual is 39 years old. He's been charged with four felony
10:25counts of assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer, one felony count of arson and one felony
10:31count of vandalism. On the night of June 8th, Mr. Palermo is accused of throwing a large rock at a
10:38California Highway Patrol vehicle from an overpass on the 101 freeway. He also allegedly lit an object on
10:46fire and threw it at a CHP SUV that was parked on the freeway. That vehicle caught fire.
10:54In this case, what you will hear is an anonymous tip from Crime Stoppers is what helped law enforcement
11:01identify, locate, and arrest Mr. Palermo. If convicted as charged on the state charges, he faces up to nine years and
11:09eight months in state prison. Mr. Palermo's case basically can be viewed in three different ways.
11:17Call it timing, techniques, and consequences. On timing, we have promised you that the charges
11:26are coming. And for anybody who's committed these crimes who wasn't arrested at that moment in time,
11:32we have told those folks that we are coming for you. And Mr. Palermo's case is an example
11:38of exactly that. That though he did not get arrested at that exact moment in time, you see behind me
11:45and throughout this entire county, law enforcement officers who are going to track down these criminals,
11:52arrest them, bring their cases to the U.S. attorney, to the district attorney, to the city attorney.
11:58We will then prosecute those cases, convict these individuals, and they will be punished.
12:03So on timing, the warning to all those criminals out there who've committed the crimes, we're coming
12:10after you. And to the people out there who are thinking about committing these crimes, please don't.
12:16Please heed this warning. The second thing is techniques. One of the things we discussed in the
12:21last press conference was how law enforcement is going to actually go ahead and find all these individuals.
12:27criminals. This exact case is an example of that. Crime stoppers. Two individuals contacted crime
12:35stoppers and provided anonymously information, linking the social media sites for Mr. Palermo to the
12:46activities that were publicized by the media of an individual who was masked, who was throwing objects
12:53from the freeway onto the CHP cars. They followed up with these anonymous tips. They linked in all the
13:01social media video, all the video footage from the media, all the cell phone cameras. They had been
13:08recording this. Hundreds or thousands of cameras have been out there. Law enforcement is going to get
13:14this evidence. And when they get this evidence, they're going to find these people behind these masks,
13:20behind these coverings, who thought they could go ahead and commit these crimes with impunity. Now they're
13:26going to realize something different. And the third point about the Palermo case and these other cases are the
13:32consequences. Mr. Palermo has basically said that he thought this was his most productive day. Literally causing this
13:42damage, committing these crimes was his most productive day. What he's going to learn is that when we bring the evidence and
13:50in court and we convict him beyond a reasonable doubt, and a judge sentences him to jail or prison,
13:57that he can think long and hard as he's sitting there in a jail or prison about what a great productive
14:04day he had. It was not a productive day. It was a day of destruction, a day of violating the laws, and it will
14:12be eventually a day of accountability. Now let me turn this over to our United States Attorney Bill Assaylee.
14:23Thank you, Mr. District Attorney. Good afternoon or good morning. I'm Bill Assaylee. I'm the United
14:28States Attorney for the Central District of California. I am very proud to stand here today with our state and
14:34federal law enforcement partners. We are united in our efforts to ensure that individuals that choose to cause
14:40violence and destruction in our communities are held accountable. And you've seen us do that
14:46over the last week. And we're here today to continue doing that and to announce more charges.
14:52We have zero tolerance for violence. As the district attorney said, you have an absolute right to
14:58peacefully protest. You have no right to destroy property or to engage in acts of violence, especially
15:05at our law enforcement officers. Since June 6, 2025, my office working with federal and state partners
15:11have charged more than 20 individuals with federal crimes for engaging in violent conduct, obstructing
15:17enforcement operations, or supporting acts of violence. Let me highlight a few of the cases we
15:23filed over the last few days. On Friday, we took custody of Mr. Alejandro Orellana for his role in
15:30supporting the violent protests in downtown Los Angeles. On June 9, he drove his truck downtown with
15:36an unidentified woman to hand out large quantities of face shields to individuals who appear to be
15:42engaged in violence and vandalism. He was not handing them out to peaceful protesters. His actions were
15:48captured on video posted on social media and observed by Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies. These face
15:54shields are designed to protect from chemical splashes and flying debris, which helps protect violent
16:00agitators from less than lethal weapons deployed by law enforcement. When the FBI executed a search
16:06warrant at his home, they found a powerful wrist rocket style slingshot and ammunition for the
16:12slingshot, including a bag of rocks and containers of metal BBs, a can of spray paint, plastic goggles,
16:20and a notebook with the words 1312 Blue Lives Matter 187. 1312 is an abbreviation for all cops are
16:27bastards while 187 is a common slang term for murder. He has been charged with a violation of 18 United
16:35States Code Section 371 conspiracy to commit civil disorder each and 18 United States Code Sections 231
16:42A3 and 2 aiding and abetting in civil disorders. Each of those charges carries a five-year statutory
16:49maximum sentence. As I mentioned last week, much of the violent violence has been directed at law
16:54enforcement. Police officers who are just trying to do their jobs and protect the community. As you saw
17:01in the news on June 8th, our Highway Patrol officers were violently, viciously attacked by individuals
17:08from an overpass above the 101 freeway, throwing rocks and explosive devices and lighting CHP cars on fire.
17:15On Friday, federal agents and the CHP arrested Mr. Adam Charles Palermo for his role in the attack
17:23on our CHP officers. Palermo was caught on video participating in the attack. His social media
17:29account contained a collage of photographs and videos depicting a man holding flying debris,
17:35a CHP patrol car on fire, and various other damage to CHP patrol cars. In the caption he wrote,
17:42all of the protests I've been involved in, which is well over 100 now, I'm most proud of what I did today.
17:49Mr. Palermo is charged with a violation of 18 United States Code Section 844I attempted arson of a vehicle
17:56used in interstate or foreign commerce. He faces a mandatory minimum penalty of five years and a
18:03statutory maximum penalty of 20 years. He will not be doing any protests for the next foreseeable future.
18:11Another case filed yesterday involves an individual who spit on a military serviceman
18:17and a law enforcement officer. On Saturday, California National Guard and federal police were
18:22outside the federal building on Los Angeles Street trying to protect federal property.
18:28Angus Johnson confronted a California National Guardsman and after heckling him, he spit on him.
18:34Johnson then spit on other federal police officers present who are trying to keep the peace.
18:38As our president said, if you spit, we hit and we will hit you with a felony.
18:44Mr. Johnson is charged with assaulting a federal agent in violation of 18 United States Code Section 111.
18:50He faces a maximum sentence of eight years in prison. We have dozens of ongoing investigations,
18:57and we are continuing our work to identify individuals who engaged in violence.
19:01Their masks, their face shields will not save them. We will find them, and we will go to their home,
19:08and we will arrest them. That is a promise I make to the community. I want to thank our law enforcement
19:14men and women. I want to thank our National Guard and the military for their service in keeping us safe.
19:20I want to thank the federal agents for their hard work, which they continue to do each and every day.
19:25They do not deserve to be treated the way in which they were the last week, and we're not going to put
19:29up with it. We have great working relationships with our local law enforcement partners, LAPD,
19:34the sheriff, CHP, the district attorney's office, and we will work together to make sure we get the most
19:40aggressive and appropriate sentence for each of these violent actors. Thank you very much.
19:52Good morning, and thank you all for being here. I am Chris Margaris. I am the Southern Division
19:56Chief of the California Highway Patrol. First, I want to extend my sincere appreciation to the Los
20:02Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hockman and U.S. Attorney Bill Asselia, as well as all the other
20:07agencies standing here with us today. Their continued commitment to public safety and the
20:12safety of our offices reflects the strength of our partnership and a unified front in response
20:18to the recent events in Los Angeles. Over the past week, the California Highway Patrol has been
20:24fully engaged in maintaining public safety amid a series of protests across the state and here in Los
20:30Angeles. Let me be clear. While we uphold and protect the constitutional right to free speech and
20:35peaceful assembly, we will not and do not tolerate violence, criminal conduct, or any act that threatens
20:43the safety of the public or our officers. Today, I'm announcing the arrest of Adam Palama of Los
20:51Angeles by the California Highway Patrol major crime detectives for his role in a violent attack on CHP
20:56personnel. Palama was accused of throwing rocks at our officers and participating in the arson of a
21:03marked CHP patrol vehicle. These are not protest actions. These are serious felonies and direct
21:09threats to public safety. We are pursuing full accountability under the law for violent crimes.
21:15In addition, the California Highway Patrol has made multiple arrests
21:18related to reckless driving incidents that occurred directly in front of our special response team
21:22officers and protesters during recent events. These drivers deliberately engaged in dangerous
21:27maneuvers that placed everyone nearby officers, protesters, and bystanders in immediate danger.
21:35That is not protest. It is reckless criminal behavior. Vehicles have been impounded for 30 days
21:41and criminal charges are being recommended for each of the individuals involved.
21:45Let me emphasize this is far from over. Our investigation is active and ongoing. CHP detectives continuing to
21:53release to review evidence, examine video footage, identify additional suspects, and pursue charges for
22:00those incited and carried out violence against our officers and engage in criminal acts during these
22:05demonstrations. Anyone who assaulted a peace officer destroyed property or threatened public safety will
22:11be identified and held fully accountable. We are asking for the public help. If you witness any criminal
22:18activity during these demonstrations or have any information that may insist our investigators
22:24please call our major crimes tip line at 323-259-3200. Tips can be made in honesty and every lead will be pursued.
22:35To the people of California, we are here to protect your right to speak and be heard.
22:39But those who choose to exploit public demonstrations and invite violence, attack officers, or create
22:46contact or create chaos, know this. We are coming for you. Your actions will not go unanswered.
22:54Our offices have shown professionalism, courage, restraint under intense and dangerous circumstances.
23:00I am incredibly proud of the men and women in the California Highway Patrol.
23:04We remain unwavering in our mission to provide the highest level of safety,
23:10service, and security for everyone who lives and works and travels in this state. Thank you.
23:14Good morning everyone. I'm Deputy Chief Fallon Hamilton. I'm the Chief of Detectives for the Los
23:24Angeles Police Department. I want to open up first with thanking our law enforcement partners,
23:30the hard work done by the Los Angeles Police Department officers, Los Angeles County Sheriff's
23:34Department, California Highway Patrol, and numerous other agencies that came in on a mutual aid basis to
23:40assist in keeping this city safe. On behalf of the Los Angeles Police Department, we want to thank them
23:45for all their hard work, the sacrifice they've done over these last few days to make this city,
23:52this region, and this state safe. Our hats go off to all of our partners that responded when the call
23:58went out to assist arrived in this city within hours and assisted us in restoring order to this city.
24:05The city of Los Angeles is a peaceful and orderly city and the Los Angeles Police Department will keep
24:11it that way. We want to thank our partners in the U.S. Attorney's Office, the District Attorney's Office,
24:17and the City Attorney's Office in assisting us on the other side of our investigations with effective
24:23in meaningful prosecution and consequences. And as my partners have discussed, these investigations
24:30that we have initiated as results of this criminal activity will continue. As I stand here and speak,
24:37our investigators are continuing to identify individuals that were involved in violent activity
24:41and looting activity in the downtown area. And we will be arresting, making additional arrests,
24:47and we will be arresting additional suspects and bringing them to justice as well as we have in
24:53these cases that we're discussing today. The Los Angeles Police Department supports the right to
24:58peacefully protest, but when individuals choose to engage in violence, arm themselves or endanger others,
25:04including officers and community members, we will act and we will seek prosecution.
25:11Pointing a laser at an aircraft is not a prank. It's a felony and a serious public safety threat.
25:17When a laser hits the cockpit of an LAPD helicopter, it can temporarily blind or disorient the pilot,
25:23even at high altitude or at speed. In low-flying urban environments like Los Angeles,
25:29this creates an extremely dangerous situation where momentary loss of vision can lead to a crash
25:36that puts lives at risk on the ground and with our air crews. This behavior is not only reckless,
25:42it can blind the pilot and cause a catastrophic crash. A crash caused by a laser strike could impact
25:49homes, traffic, businesses, or peaceful gatherings below. These incidents also jeopardize the safety
25:55of officers on the ground who rely on aerial support for real-time intelligence during emergency,
25:59crimes in progress, and crowd management. Unfortunately, we're seeing an increase in the use of laser
26:05pointers at protests and during incidents where individuals appear to be intentionally targeting
26:09law enforcement. This is not accidental or careless. It is often deliberate interference with law
26:16enforcement operations, and it has all the hallmarks of criminal intent.
26:21In the case of Mr. De La Rosa, the laser was reportedly aimed at the LAPD airship multiple times,
26:27demonstrating a clear disregard for human life and operational safety. I will tell you that I was out
26:33there that night when that happened at approximately 11 pm. And I know a lot of people see Los Angeles
26:40police officers and other law enforcement agencies with the tinted glasses when we're at these protests.
26:46We have had law enforcement officers sustained career-ending and life-damaging injuries to their
26:53eyes as a result of laser strikes on the ground. So you can only imagine how dangerous it is for an air
26:58crew operating hundreds of feet above a crowd, providing timely intelligence and safety to the
27:03officers below. That activity will never be tolerated in the city of Los Angeles, and we will always seek to
27:09take effective prosecutorial action after arresting those suspects. We want to thank the district attorney for
27:15pursuing felony charges in the cases presented today, along with their partners at the U.S. Attorney's
27:21Office. These crimes don't advance any cause or further any message at all. What they do is endanger
27:29the lives of our officers, harm our communities, our small businesses who are desperately trying to
27:35recover in a very challenging atmosphere, and our civic institutions. There was some discussion about the
27:41historical buildings down here that have sustained serious damage, and it's just not going to be
27:47tolerated in this city. It is not going to be tolerated. I want to commend our detectives, our
27:52partners in law enforcement, who are working tirelessly to investigate these cases and bring justice to our
27:57city. We remain committed to ensuring Los Angeles is safe for all, and that includes those that want to
28:03come to come to Los Angeles and legally protest in our streets. We will facilitate that to to the nth degree and
28:11make sure that they have the right to express themselves and express their First Amendment rights. Thank you.
28:19All right, we'll take questions now, and then we will have Maria Ramirez, our assistant district attorney,
28:26offer remarks in Spanish, and then after we're done, she can do one-on-one interviews with the Spanish media. Yes?
28:32So as of June 7th, LAPD, I believe, reported that they have gained about 575 arrests. Have all those
28:40cases been over to your office, and will you prosecute them all? So to the extent that there are hundreds
28:46of arrests, some of these arrests, a good large number of these arrests in Los Angeles City will be
28:52misdemeanor prosecutions. The Los Angeles City Attorney's Office handles almost all of the misdemeanor
28:59adult prosecutions in the city. A lot of those misdemeanors can involve curfew violations. They
29:06can involve failure to disperse orders that we're not complied with. I know that the City Attorney's
29:12Office last week brought 14 prosecutions. I'm sure that they have hundreds of these under review.
29:19In the District Attorney's Office, we have either filed or in the process of filing 30 charges. You heard
29:25that the U.S. Attorney's Office has an additional 20 charges. As we get the charges, we evaluate them
29:31as quickly as we can, make sure that the evidence can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt in a court
29:36of law, and then we breed the appropriate charge. We anticipate that happening for, as you heard from
29:43law enforcement, for weeks or months to come. Yes? We'll go here and then we'll go back there.
29:50Okay. This might be a combined question for you and the U.S. Attorney. It seems some of the assaults
29:54on officers are being charged federally, some are charged state, and then in the case of Palermo,
29:57there's parallel tracks. Can one of you just explain, I guess, like the threshold as to what
30:02is causing something to be federal or state? Because, you know, they've charged guys in Paramount,
30:07right, allegedly threw Molotov cocktails as sheriff's deputies, and that's a federal case,
30:10and you've got this firework case involving the LAPD. That's you. So just, can you kind of just walk
30:15me through why some are going some way, some are going the other? There are certain charges that
30:20are actually, the federal government has a certain type of charge that would be more appropriate for
30:27the facts involved, and sometimes it's the state and local district attorney's office, and sometimes
30:32even the city attorney's office that has the both jurisdiction and the appropriate charge for the facts
30:38that we are presented. Law enforcement is working in a unified way. So very often, if they bring a case
30:44to the U.S. Attorney's Office and they have an appropriate charge, they will go forward with
30:48that charge. There are situations where, in the Palermo case, for instance, there's an overlap,
30:53where the types of criminal actions that he has committed are both federal violations and state
31:01violations. You will see those cases being somewhat rare, where you'll have, in essence, parallel tracks
31:08that will go on with a particular case. Most likely, for instance, the misdemeanors that we were talking
31:15about a minute ago, whether they're failure to disperse, failure to comply with a curfew, those are
31:22inherently local and state charges. Again, you will hear Mr. Saleh talk about certain charges that can be
31:30brought in connection with the civil disturbance, and I'll bring him up here in a moment. But again,
31:35we will try to find the appropriate charge for the crime that's been committed. Mr. Saleh.
31:40Yeah, thank you. Yeah, it's really a case-by-case basis, and we consult with our partners and the
31:45district attorney, of course, when appropriate. But when we're dealing with explosives, Molotov cocktails,
31:51arson, those are federal charges, and they carry significant penalties in federal prison. And so we want
31:57to take those federally to reflect the seriousness of the conduct, especially when the targets are law
32:03enforcement. That's really what ATF does. That's why ATF is here. They specialize in explosives.
32:09They have that expertise. And then as far as the other cases, it's really going to depend. The looting,
32:15depending on the facts of the case, we might be able to take that federally as a Hobbs Act robbery.
32:20But we have additional things we need to prove that the DA might not have to prove. So it really depends
32:24on the strength of the evidence of the case and what the facts are. But again, we're committed to filing the most
32:30aggressive charges we can to these violent actors. And same thing. Normally, assaults on local police
32:37officers are not a federal crime. But when you have a civil disorder, when you have riots, they become
32:41a federal crime. So we want to take some of the more serious assaults and highlight the federal
32:47government's commitment to protecting local law enforcement. That is something the Attorney General
32:51herself has made a commitment to and wants to make sure that we are being aggressive and going after
32:57attacks on federal law enforcement. And the majority of our cases filed are either attacks on federal
33:02agents, which we have jurisdiction over, like the military personnel that were spit on, or the rocks
33:10being thrown at Border Patrol or ICE officers, etc. So it really depends on the case. Yes.
33:16Question for CHP. First of all, you mentioned the idea that you impounded a number of vehicles where
33:21people were out there either driving at your officers, doing burnouts, whatever. How many vehicles
33:26actually have been impounded at this point? And are you investigating these individuals to see if
33:30they've committed other crimes to where you go beyond a 30-day impound, possibly civil declaration
33:35that this is a nuisance, the vehicle can be taken away and destroyed?
33:38So the exact number, I believe, is six. You can impound six vehicles and a motorcycle. As far as
33:48the second part of your question, yes. We're also going to, when it involves street racing
33:55or sideshows, which that is basically committing, it also involves a state referee. So we have to go
34:01use a state referee to take their vehicles from them. And we're in the process of doing that right
34:05now. Question also for Mr. Ossetti or for Mr. Hockman, either one. Are you doing deep dives on these
34:11people you're arresting to find out what is their background if they have prior misdemeanor and or
34:15felony arrest? And you're going to use that for enhancements when you, if you convict them in the
34:20terms of sentencing. Is that possible? A couple of things. One is at sentencing,
34:25that is all taken into account by the judge to determine what the appropriate sentence is.
34:29When we're giving you the potential sentences here, there's the maximum sentence. So obviously,
34:34a judge will look at their criminal history record and the facts of the case and make the appropriate
34:37sentence. The other thing my office is focused on is we're really focused on organizers,
34:43funders and supporters of this violence. I'm not going to get into details on that yet. But one
34:48of the people we highlighted today was a guy who was handing out masks, face shields to to rioters.
34:54And we are looking into who he was involved in doing that with and who paid for that. So we are very
34:59focused and looking at organizers and funders of these activities. And I'll tell you, a lot of the
35:04people who were arresting, they're not necessarily from this area. So there's a bigger story here.
35:09And I think that will come out over time. And I will just briefly in the last press conference,
35:16when we announced charges against eight individuals, one of them was a third striker.
35:22And the violent crime he's been alleged would be a third strike, which is why he was looking at 25
35:27years to life as a maximum sentence. So yes, we do take those in account upfront in deciding whether or
35:33not there are certain enhancements to bring on the state side. And Mr. Sally's right, certainly at
35:38sentencing, someone with a long criminal history will most likely be treated differently by a court
35:44than someone with no criminal history. You've gotten into something, Mr. Sally mentioned it.
35:48He is when we get too much into the idea of the investigation of funders. There are some 30 or
35:5240 different organizations that claim they're in quote solidarity with the protests. Are you looking to
35:58see if these people are providing the people who are arrested or others with funding to actually
36:04promote these protests or actually commit these criminal acts? We're talking agencies and the
36:10people who they are. We're looking at dozens of agencies and NGOs and not agencies. We're looking
36:15at dozens of organizations and NGOs. The IRS is taking the lead on that and we are absolutely doing
36:20that. What do you get them for? What's the IRS involved on that? The IRS, they specialize in tracing the
36:27money and finding out where it's coming from, where it's going. So the IRS, this is what they do and this is
36:31what they are doing and like I said, that's a long-term investigation but we're looking at a lot
36:36of organizations and NGOs. Federal conspiracy charges possible? I can't get into what what the charges are
36:41will be. We're looking into it. Sorry, before Nathan tags you out again.
36:46Thanks. Sorry again, Mr. Sally's questions for you. Can you explain a little more clearly the criminal
36:54con I get the I'm not trying to dismiss the context you put in with Oriana about what you found in his
36:58house? But the idea that giving away defensive materials is a crime is a little confusing to me
37:05because I think you had said earlier the only people out there wearing masks to protect them
37:09equipment would be involved in violent agitation. That's not entirely true. Like numbers of the media
37:14wear gas masks covering these events. I tend to wear a gas mask covering these events. I don't like to
37:18breathe in tear gas at work if I can avoid it. So can you just explain a little more clearly why
37:22providing defensive equipment? You have to look at the context. He wasn't handing masks out at the
37:27beach. He was handing them out in downtown LA to people who were dressed similarly to those who are
37:33committing violence. They're dressed from gear top to bottom. They're covering their face. They're
37:38wearing backpacks. We've talked about what's been in the backpacks. You've got fireworks. You've got rocks.
37:43These weren't peaceful protesters. They weren't holding up signs expressing a political message.
37:50They were agitators. People came to do violence. So you have to look at the context. There's no
37:56legitimate reason why a peaceful protester needs a face shield. If they're saying it's to defend them
38:00from the police, the police don't attack protesters. They declare an unlawful assembly. They ask you to
38:05leave multiple times and then they'll start deploying less lethal ammunition, projectiles, gas.
38:12But that's not peaceful protesters. You're at that point, you're a rioter or you're in violation of
38:16state law because you're somewhere you're not supposed to be. I know why the media does it
38:20because you're covering the riots. So I understand why a media person would need that. But people on
38:24the street don't need a face shield. We'll take a couple more questions. Question for Mr. Hoffman.
38:30Yes. On June 9th at 11 p.m. in Little Tokyo, there was a man behind a metal dumpster and a canopy that was
38:41set on fire using a mortar launcher to fire at the police line. How do you plan on charging that type of
38:50crime? So we would wait to the extent that that crime, the report of that crime and the evidence
38:58behind it is presented to a district attorney's office. We evaluate everything. We evaluate the
39:03quality of the evidence, the whether or not there's footage for it, video footage. We'll look to see
39:09if there's any of that. We'll look at any witness statements that are provided. I have it available to
39:13you and I've given it to Chief McDonald. Then Chief McDonald at some point will have one of his detectives
39:19present a report to the district attorney's office. At that point, we do the evaluation we do in every case
39:25and we measure the type of evidence. Can we get beyond a reasonable doubt to prove the crimes
39:30committed? Who committed the crimes and then what exact crimes we believe we can successfully
39:35prosecute in court? So that'll be the normal way we go about it. No different for that particular case.
39:40Thank you. Any last questions?
39:43Easy one. We have an easy question. Okay, we're going to end with an easy question then.
39:48Stunning, right? It's either for you or Chief Hamilton. Just the way you were describing the Rubio case
39:52before. It sounded like guy sets fire allegedly, cops and firefighters respond,
39:56guy throws fireworks at them allegedly. Do you guys believe he was luring people to be attacked
40:03or it was just kind of a series of events that happened that way?
40:10So I'm not, I don't want to comment on the specifics of the case. We know kind of what the
40:17intent was in terms of deployment of those very dangerous fireworks. And again,
40:21as our chief has said, as Chief McDonnell has said, these fireworks literally can kill people
40:26and cause life changing, debilitating injuries and grave bodily injury. We take all of those cases
40:31very seriously. I'm not going to comment on this specific case at this time as it continues under
40:36investigation. But rest assured that when all that information is presented to the district
40:40attorney's office, we will seek the maximum consequences in that case. And then I'll add just
40:46very briefly. And that's in the court of law is where you're going to get all the facts fleshed out.
40:52That's where we argue work cases in the court of law. Today, again, we are giving very general
40:57highlights of cases for the public's for the public to understand what what charges individuals have
41:04been charged with. Also making it very clear to the public and to potential criminals that these are
41:11the charges that they could be facing if they choose to engage in this criminal conduct. So let me
41:16stop right there. Let me invite Assistant District Attorney Maria Ramirez up. She'll give remarks in
41:21Spanish and then we'll conclude.
41:26Buenos dias a nuestra comunidad habla hispana. Estamos aquí hoy para anunciar cargos adicionales
41:34que han sido presentados a nuestra oficina en relación con las protestas de inmigración que han
41:40ocurrido en las últimas semanas. Queremos agradecer nuevamente a los cientos de oficiales y alguaciles de
41:47agencias en todo el sur de California y en otras partes que han protegido nuestras calles y mantenido
41:55a Los Ángeles seguro. Sin importar a la hora día o noche, noche estos oficiales y alguaciles se han puesto en
42:03peligro al ser llamados a garantizar que las protestas fueran ordenadas y pacíficas. Hay una
42:10línea clara y distinta entre la expresión legal y la conducta ilegal. Nuestro trabajo como fiscales es
42:20asegurarnos de que aquellos que participen en la violencia y la destrucción rindan cuentas por sus
42:29acciones. Que esto sirva como otra advertencia para que quienes rompen la ley, la tecnología está de
42:37nuestro lado. Vamos a investigar las redes sociales, examinar grabaciones de cámaras, de video y pedir
42:45a las personas que proporcionan fotos de sus teléfonos celulares para construir un caso contra los
42:52criminales. Otras agencias como la oficina de la fiscal de la ciudad de Los Ángeles, así como la
43:00oficina del fiscal de los Estados Unidos, también podrán presentar casos. A partir de hoy nuestra
43:08oficina ha presentado o está en el proceso de presentar hoy casos contra 30 personas en relación
43:15con las protestas de inmigración. Entre esos casos se encuentran Aaron Palermo, de 39 años, con los
43:24cargos de, cargo de felonía por asalto con un arma mortal o un oficial de paz, un cargo de felonía por
43:32incendio provocado y un cargo de felonía por vandalismo. También tenemos un caso contra William
43:40Rubio, de 23 años, con dos cargos de felonía por asalto a un oficial de paz, dos cargos de felonía por
43:49usar un dispositivo destructivo para dañar o destruir. También tenemos un caso contra Terrell Tillis, de 30
43:59años, con un cargo de delito de posesión de un arma de fuego por un delincuente, un cargo menor de dar o
44:08recibir un cargador de gran capacidad. También Antonio de la Rosa, de 44 años, un cargo de delito por
44:17disparar un laser a una aeronave. Y finalmente un cargo contra Eddie Lee Baldwin, de 39 años, con un
44:26cargo de felonía por robio comercial en segundo grado. Se espera que presenten casos adicionales a
44:34la oficina de fiscal de distrito para su consideración de presentación. En algunos casos, las personas que
44:41fueron arrestadas han sido citadas y liberadas. Esos casos aún no se han presentado. Muchas gracias.
44:51And thank you all for being here today. Again, if you want a one-on-one interviews, you can do them
44:56afterwards. Very much appreciated. Thank you.
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