FBI offers reward for suspect who allegedly assaulted federal officer amid Paramount protests
The FBI is offering a reward of up to $50,000 to find a man who allegedly assaulted a federal officer in Paramount amid federal immigration enforcement protests on Saturday.
The assault allegedly occurred on June 7 in the city of Paramount, where footage posted to social media showed federal law enforcement officers outside a Home Depot early that morning. The Department of Homeland Security stated that there was no ICE "raid" on Saturday in Paramount, but instead the agents were staging at an office.
Protesters gathered in the area, and around 4 p.m. the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department declared the demonstration an unlawful assembly, warning protesters to leave. Demonstrations spread to the nearby city of Compton, and later in the evening, protesters took to the streets of downtown LA as well.
On June 9, the FBI released a photo of the alleged Paramount assault suspect and identified him as Elpidio Reyna, 40, of Compton. "He is considered a fugitive, and we continue to seek his location," the agency said in a statement. "A reward of up to $50,000 is being offered for information leading to his arrest and conviction."
Elpidio Reyna, 40, of Compton.
FBI
Bill Essayli, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California wrote on X that Reyna threw rocks at federal officers leaving a command post in Paramount on Saturday, calling it a "brazen attack caught on film and that could have resulted in deaths."
Video posted to Essayli's X account shows a man wearing a motorcycle helmet, standing in the median of the road outside Home Depot, throwing rocks at several cars as they pass by, including a white Border Patrol pickup truck. That man has been identified by the FBI, allegedly as Reyna.
In a statement, the FBI said they are currently seeking individuals who assaulted law enforcement officers serving federal warrants in various parts of Los Angeles over the past several days.
"Anyone who deliberately impedes the efforts of law enforcement agents and officers who are carrying out lawful warrants will be subject to federal prosecution, to include spending time in federal prison," said Akil Davis, assistant director in charge of the FBI Los Angeles Field Office.
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