L.A. city attorney charges 14 people with misdemeanors related to downtown protests
More than a dozen people face misdemeanor charges related to the immigration protests in downtown Los Angeles.
City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto said her office filed 10 criminal cases involving 14 people. Some of the charges include battery of a peace officer, petty theft, trespassing and resisting arrest. Each charge carries a possible penalty of one year in county jail and up to a $1,000 fine.
"The right to peacefully protest and to free speech is protected under the First Amendment; however, protests must not cross the line into criminal conduct. This Office will continue to prosecute individuals who violate our laws, especially when they threaten public safety, assault our police officers or damage property," Feldstein Soto said.
Demonstrators holding signs and flags face California National Guard members standing guard outside the Federal Building.
APU GOMES/AFP via Getty Images
On Wednesday, L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman charged more than a dozen people with felonies related to the ICE protests.
"If people want to hurl insults, we will protect that. If people want to engage in crimes, we will prosecute that," Hochman said on Wednesday. "So hurling bricks, hurling cinder blocks, hurling fireworks, will not be tolerated in this county now or ever."
However, he did remark that the vast majority of protesters did not commit crimes during the demonstrations. He estimated that about 4,000 people had marched without doing something illegal since June 6, and possibly up to 400 had engaged in unlawful activity.
"That means that 99.99 percent of people who live in Los Angeles city, or live in Los Angeles County, have not committed any illegal acts in connection with this protest whatsoever," Hochman said on Wednesday.
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