21-03-2025
17-year-old teen charged as adult after 22 officers hurt by fireworks at Glendale protest
A 17-year-old teen was indicted as an adult in an incident where prosecutors said police officers were targeted with and injured by fireworks during a protest in Glendale.
The Maricopa County Attorney's Office announced Thursday that Joseph Matthew Lopez was indicted on 22 counts of aggravated assault — one count for each Glendale police officer prosecutors said was hurt during an hours-long Feb. 2 protest attended by hundreds of people against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement near 67th Avenue and Camelback Road.
The protest was deemed an unlawful assembly as protesters became increasingly aggressive, according to the Attorney's Office. The protest led to three others, two minors and an adult, arrested on felony charges.
"When an officer is assaulted, it's not just an attack on them, it's an attack on the safety of our communities," said Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell in a statement. "I will not tolerate anyone treating law enforcement as targets or endangering their lives."
Lopez lit a firework and threw it into a group of officers after police tried to disperse the crowd, prosecutors said. Officers suffered a range of injuries including burns and hearing damage, according to the Attorney's Office said.
Glendale police announced Lopez's arrest on March 6 but did not name him. Police released a video with an edited photo of the suspect, his face superimposed by that of actor Channing Tatum doing an exaggerated Latino accent in a scene from the 2014 comedy film "22 Jump Street."
The social media video showed footage from the protest that featured fireworks seen igniting on a street with officers in tactical gear and protesters body-worn camera footage shared by police from the protest, someone is heard saying "hurt so bad" in reference to the fireworks. Also released by police was footage taken inside what appears to be a Wingstop restaurant in which police said the suspect, now identified as Lopez, discussed throwing fireworks at officers.
A pair of 16-year-old boys were previously charged on suspicion of stealing a vehicle, burglary and rioting, and a 20-year-old man was charged with misdemeanors and a felony charge of endangerment, police announced on Feb. 20. Those arrests were made following a review of social media tying the suspects to surveillance videos at the protest, according to police.
A portion of the video released by police in relation to those three arrests showed a person jumping into a marked police SUV and driving a short distance before stopping and fleeing on foot into the crowd of demonstrators.
The 67th Avenue and Camelback Road intersection had been taken over by demonstrators who lit fireworks and were being "unruly and defiant towards officers," police said the morning after the protest. Police added the protest had drawn more than 1,000 people and that by 7:45 p.m., the intersection was closed in all directions due to vehicular and pedestrian congestion. Glendale police said that around 10:15 p.m., they and Phoenix police dispersed multiple chemical agents on "the unlawful assembly," and the intersection was cleared 20 minutes later.
There were five marked patrol vehicles damaged, including broken windows, shattered windshields, slashed tires and damaged hoods and body panels, according to police. People in the area not involved in the demonstration had to shelter in place, and many of their vehicles and some businesses suffered "extensive damage," police said at the time. A large storage container near a business was set on fire, police added.
Lopez has a $100,000 secured bond, meaning he must pay the court 10% of the bond to be released.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Fireworks attack left 22 officers hurt, 17-year-old charged as adult
