Additional charges filed in connection with violence at recent immigration protests
One of the individuals charged is a 23-year-old accused of firing fireworks at police officers and firefighters.
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced a new round of charges tied to violence at the recent immigration protests.
During a press conference Tuesday morning, Hochman, along with local and state officials, unveiled the new slate of charges linked to assaulting and throwing fireworks at officers and attacking patrol cars.
One of the individuals charged is 23-year-old William Rubio, accused of firing fireworks at police officers and firefighters.
He was arrested and charged with two felony counts of assaulting an officer and two felony counts of using a destructive device to injure or destroy.
Hochman said on the night of June 8, a dumpster was set on fire in downtown Los Angeles.
He said undercover officers saw Rubio allegedly throwing fireworks at the officers and firefighters sent to put out the fire. Rubio left the scene, but was allegedly spotted 30 minutes later throwing fireworks at a line of LAPD motorcycle officers.
"When he was arrested, in his backpack, they found 20 individual fireworks," said Hochman. "These included 11 M-1000 quarter sticks... these quarter sticks are basically a quarter stick of dynamite. These are lethal devices."
"These are people for whom the protest was a cover," said Hochman. "They weren't interested in protesting. They weren't interested in joining the tens of thousands, or hundreds of thousands of people that legitimately wanted to voice their concerns about what's going on in society."
There was also a heavy focus on one specific case involving a 39-year-old man identified as Adam Palermo, who is being charged on the county and federal levels.
Palermo allegedly threw debris and other items from an overpass at California Highway Patrol vehicles, damaging the units and even causing them to catch fire.
Hochman said Palermo shared videos and images of himself participating in the violence on his social media.
Hochman contends the protest was a cover for criminals.
"This smaller group, with numbers probably in the hundreds, not even in the thousands, that in many ways has done a huge disservice to the legitimate protesters out there. It was a day of destruction. A day of violating the laws and it will be, eventually, a day of accountability," Hochman said.
On June 11, more than a dozen individuals were charged with various crimes, including assaulting peace officers, grand theft, and vandalism.
Hochman says his office is processing 30 charges.