The FBI has identified the masked protester seen on video hurling cinder blocks at federal officers during the anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced as she warned other agitators, saying, “You can’t hide.”
The suspect, who was identified as Elpidio Reyna by U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California, has been placed on the FBI’s most wanted list. Authorities have announced a $50,000 reward for any information that leads to his arrest and conviction. “That guy has just been identified, and they are doing a search warrant on his house as we speak,” Bondi told Fox News host Sean Hannity on Monday.
No Escaping the Law
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“His name is Reyes. He is going to be on the most wanted list,” the attorney general added, suggesting the protester was still at large. Essayli later identified the suspect as 40-year-old Elpidio Reyna.
“WANTED: Elpidio Reyna can run, but he can’t hide. He threw rocks at federal officers leaving a command post in Paramount on Saturday, a brazen attack caught on film and that could have resulted in deaths,” Essayli, the top prosecutor in the Central District of California, wrote on X.
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The suspect was reportedly seen wearing a green and orange Los Angeles Lakers cap and a face mask while being filmed smashing cinder blocks into smaller chunks and throwing them at law enforcement officers.
This was just one of many disturbing scenes during the protest, where thousands were captured on video torching self-driving WAYMO vehicles, damaging property, wielding hammers, and waving Mexican flags.
The U.S. attorney said that Reyna has been charged with assaulting a federal officer and could be sentenced to up to eight years in prison if found guilty.
An FBI spokesperson from the Los Angeles field office confirmed that Reyna remains at large and has not been arrested yet.
“We’re actively seeking his whereabouts,” the spokesperson told The Post. “Our investigation is ongoing.”
“If you assault a police officer, if you rob a store, if you loot, if you spit on a police officer, we’re coming after you.”
Still on the Run
Video evidence shows the suspect hurling bricks at no fewer than eight law enforcement vehicles speeding along Alondra Boulevard, while other protesters shouted encouragement in Spanish. In multiple images released by the FBI, the suspect is shown wearing a motorcycle helmet, sunglasses, a face mask, and a hat.
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“What we’re going to do is we are going to enforce the law, regardless of what they do,” Bondi said, slamming local and state officials. “Look at it out there: It looks like a third-world country and it’s not. It’s the United States of America. We are not standing for it.”
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“We have nine open cases right now and more to come on assaulting federal officers,” the attorney general revealed.
Over 700 Marines have been deployed to unrest-hit Los Angeles, joined by an additional 2,000 National Guard troops standing by under orders from the White House, as the city prepares for yet another night of immigration-related demonstrations.
So far, at least 74 people have been taken into custody in connection with the weekend riots, with more arrests expected as the turmoil continues to grip California’s largest city.
