A Los Angeles jury has returned a “not guilty” verdict in the case of a tow truck driver who was charged with theft because he towed a government vehicle used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during a downtown raid earlier this year.
The US Attorney’s Office had charged the Los Angeles truck driver, Bobby Nunez, 33, with “theft of government property,” a charge punishable by up to ten years in prison. But the jury found him not guilty on Friday.
Nuñez’s attorneys, Public Defenders Rebecca Harris and David Menninger, He said “We are pleased to confirm that the jury acquitted our client, Bobby Nunez. We thank the jury for serving as an essential support against prosecutorial overreach in our constitutional system.”
The US Attorney’s Office said in a statement He said KABC News, “The trial lasted four days. The jury deliberated more than three hours. We have no further comment.”
In September, Los Angeles U.S. Attorney Bill Essay posted on
August raid to focus on Tatiana Martinez, a 23-year-old illegal alien from Colombia, who was reportedly live-streaming immigration enforcement activities on TikTok. The same video clip shows her being pulled from her car and arrested.
An immigration agent can be seen chasing the tow truck as it takes off in the SUV and someone shouts obscenities off camera.
“Apparently (Nunez) thought it would be funny to interfere with our immigration enforcement operations,” Al-Asili wrote on X. “And now he can laugh behind bars as he faces justice.”
According to September news He releases From Al-Asili’s office, law enforcement officers used two vehicles with emergency lights on to prevent Martinez’s car from escaping.
According to version:
As officers struggled to arrest Martinez, Nunez approached Martinez’s vehicle and began pressing the passenger side door of her vehicle on an officer, who then threatened Nunez with arrest. After being told that officers were conducting a federal investigation, Nunez cursed at the officers and told them that “something would happen” to them.
While officers were addressing a second man accused of interfering with the arrest, Nunez allegedly fled in the SUV, according to the release.
Inside the car were her keys and a firearm hidden in a safe, authorities said.
Contributor Lowell Covell is the best-selling author of Los Angeles crime fiction Below the line And nine crime novels and other non-fiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com For more.