Elpidio Reyna, 41, of Compton, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to one count of assault on a federal officer by deadly or dangerous weapon resulting in bodily injury.
A violent agitator who threw chunks of concrete at federal agents during a June 2025 anti-immigration enforcement riot near Los Angeles has been convicted of federal criminal charges in the US District Court for the Central District of California. Elpidio Reyna, 41, of Compton, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to one count of assault on a federal officer by deadly or dangerous weapon resulting in bodily injury. He faces a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
Reyna, who appeared on the FBI's "Most Wanted" list, was apprehended on July 23, 2025, at the US-Mexico border during a negotiated surrender. According to the FBI complaint, Reyna was captured on key video evidence throwing large chunks of concrete at a government vehicle convoy during an anti-ICE riot near a Home Depot on Alondra Boulevard in Paramount, California, on June 7, 2025.
https://twitter.com/USAttyEssayli/status/1948056678504767913?s=20
The projectiles shattered one of the vehicle's windows, resulting in a US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer sustaining bloody injuries, according to the complaint. Reyna also lit objects on fire in the middle of the street and impeded law enforcement activity, authorities said.
"This defendant could have easily killed a federal officer or innocent bystander," said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli in a press release. "As he found out the hard way, violence against law enforcement is not constitutionally protected and will be met with swift justice. Those who engage in similar violence will be arrested, charged, and eventually convicted in a court of law."
The incident sparked a multi-agency manhunt for Reyna, who had initially fled to Mexico. Images of Reyna, wearing a motorcycle helmet and with deadly projectiles in hand, quickly flooded the internet after the FBI put him on a most wanted poster. FBI agents identified Reyna as the suspect via TikTok videos, per the complaint.
Reyna was ultimately detained by the Mexican state of Sinaloa before the agency handed him over to the FBI in a negotiated surrender at the San Ysidro Port of Entry in San Diego. He will be sentenced on August 7 before US District Court Judge Fernando L. Aenlle-Rocha.
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