A 23-year-old Mexican national living illegally in the United States has been sentenced to 37 months in federal prison for his role in setting fire to a California Highway Patrol cruiser during anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles. Yachua Mauricio Flores was ordered on Monday to serve the prison term and pay $253,415 in restitution after admitting to obstructing law enforcement during the civil disorder. The case forms part of a wider crackdown on individuals involved in the unrest that erupted across the city in June 2025.

The riot took place on 8 June 2025, when officers stationed beneath the Main Street overpass above U.S. Highway 101 came under attack from rocks, concrete chunks, fireworks, street signs and burning debris. Flores admitted pouring lighter fluid from two bottles onto an already-burning CHP cruiser, directed another rioter to pour flaming liquid onto the vehicle, and helped throw an electric scooter towards officers below, acknowledging he knew they were trapped and in danger. A co-defendant, 42-year-old Ismael Vega, received the same 37-month sentence, while a third man, Adam Charles Palermo, 40, is due to be sentenced on 14 December and faces up to 20 years. The FBI, California Highway Patrol and Los Angeles Police Department investigated the case.