LA officials charge over 40 anti-ICE protesters who allegedly assaulted officers, horses and threatened child

Fox News

12 hours ago

Los Angeles officials announced on Tuesday that over 40 individuals have been slapped with new charges stemming from violent riots against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement efforts last month.
Of the charges, prosecutors pointed to a 17-year-old juvenile accused of attempted murder, two separate instances of protesters allegedly assaulting Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department horses and a man accused of injuring a police officer with a flagpole, LA District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a press release.
"The large-scale protests may have ended for now, but our work has not," Hochman said.
One of the suspects, a 17-year-old juvenile, is charged with one felony count of attempted murder, assault upon a peace officer, vandalism and two misdemeanor counts of rioting, according to officials.
Another protester, identified as 37-year-old Patrick Munoz, is accused of jabbing a flagpole at an officer as they attempted to break up a gathering outside a local hotel on June 11. If convicted, Munoz could spend up to nine years and two months in prison.
Munoz's attorney did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Additionally, prosecutors allege 49-year-old Robert Amaya approached a family as they were leaving a protest on June 10, and subsequently pulled out a knife while approaching an 11-year-old girl and making stabbing motions at her. Amaya is charged with one felony count of assault with a deadly weapon and faces up to 13 years in state prison if convicted.
Fox News Digital was unable to immediately locate an attorney representing Amaya.
Another suspect, 29-year-old Iran Castro, is accused of pulling the bridle of a sheriff's mounted deputies​​' horse and grabbing the reins of another horse at a June 14 protest after being released on her own recognizance for separate felony charges, according to authorities. Castro is charged with two felony counts of assault upon a peace officer, two felony counts of animal cruelty and one felony count of resisting arrest. If convicted, she faces the possibility of up to 10 years and four months in prison.
A second protester is also charged with allegedly assaulting an LASD horse in a separate incident, according to the press release. Authorities have accused 66-year-old Dana Whitson of pushing the animal "several times," before hitting the horse's muzzle and pulling on its rein at a June 13 protest. Whitson faces the possibility of up to six years and four months in prison if convicted.
Attorneys for both Castro and Whitson did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
The charges come after officials spent weeks battling rioters on the streets of Los Angeles, leading to hundreds of arrests as local, state and federal law enforcement officers looked to tame the chaos stemming from outcry over immigration raids throughout the sanctuary city.
"We are continuing to review evidence, identify suspects and file charges where the law has been broken," Hochman said. "I want to thank the team of investigators and prosecutors for their tireless efforts to ensure that those who committed criminal acts under the guise of protest are held accountable."