Source: Office of United States Attorneys
LOS ANGELES – A federal grand jury today indicted a Los Angeles woman and a South Bay man on charges that they assaulted federal officers stationed at a federal building in downtown Los Angeles – property that one of them defaced – during an anti-immigration enforcement protest last month.
Erin Petra Escobar, 34, of the Palms neighborhood of Los Angeles, is charged with one felony count of assault on a federal officer or employee and one misdemeanor count of depredation of government property.
Nick Elias Gutierrez, 20, of Hawthorne, is charged with two felonies: one count of assault on a federal officer or employee and one count of assault on a federal officer or employee resulting in bodily injury.
The defendants’ arraignments are scheduled for August 15 in United States District Court in Los Angeles. Both Escobar and Gutierrez are free on $5,000 bond.
According to the indictment and court documents previously filed in this case, a small group of protesters on July 17 gathered near the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building and United States Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles. The group was protesting federal immigration enforcement operations that had recently been occurring. Various entrances to the Roybal building clearly indicate that it is federal property.
A federal officer saw a protester – later identified as Escobar – using a permanent marker to write on and damage federal property. Minutes later, officers approached Escobar and attempted to detain her.
While the officers attempted to detain Escobar, a second protester – later identified as Gutierrez – used both hands to grab the shoulder straps of an officer’s bulletproof vest and began shaking the officer. The officer, helped by two other federal officers, attempted to detain Gutierrez. During the ensuing struggle, one of the officers dislocated his left ring finger.
Escobar and Gutierrez eventually were detained and arrested. While in custody and en route to a nearby holding cell, Escobar audibly filled her throat with saliva and spat into the face of one of the officers.
An indictment contains allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
If convicted, Escobar would face a statutory maximum sentence of eight years in federal prison for the assault charge and up to one year in federal prison on the depredation charge. If convicted, Gutierrez would face up to 20 years in federal prison for the assault resulting in injury count and a maximum sentence of eight years in federal prison for the assault count.
The United States Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Protective Service is investigating this matter.
The General Crimes Section is prosecuting this case.