A California man has pleaded guilty to assaulting a government official during a protest
A Compton man formerly on the FBI’s most wanted list pleaded guilty Tuesday to assault and battery on a government official during an anti-immigration protest last year.
Elpidio Reyna, 41, admitted to throwing stones at a government convoy during the June 7 protest at Paramount. One of the rocks shattered a car window, injuring a Customs and Border Protection officer by cutting his forehead, according to the plea agreement.
Reyna pleaded guilty to assaulting a public official with a dangerous or dangerous weapon resulting in bodily harm. He has been held in federal custody since July 2025.
When Reyna is sentenced in August, she faces up to 20 years in prison.
“This defendant could have easily killed a public official or a bystander,” First United States Attorney Bill Essayli said in a statement. “As he found out the hard way, violence against law enforcement is not constitutionally protected and will be dealt with swiftly. Those who commit violence like this will be arrested, charged, and ultimately convicted in a court of law.”
Reyna’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Reyna is among more than 100 people who have been indicted since June for allegedly assaulting agents or interfering with immigration. As of this month, according to the US attorney’s office in LA, 24 people have pleaded guilty to assault, obstruction and other charges, and 23 have had their charges dismissed.
Six have gone to trial, including five for assaulting a government official, and all have resulted in acquittals.
The case against Reyna centered on a protest outside the Paramount Business Center, across the street from the Home Depot. Protesters started pouring into the Paramount complex, which houses the offices of the Homeland Security Investigation, around 10 am.
Federal law enforcement officials were planning to cooperate in the area, according to the plea agreement. Reyna admitted that she and others started throwing stones at police cars, set things on fire and obstructed law enforcement.
Reyna admitted to throwing a rock at a car with a CBP officer, identified by his initials RT, inside. The stone shattered the glass and resulted in a cut on RT’s forehead.
The next day, Reyna was charged with assaulting a government official. In the complaint, prosecutors said he was identified as a man wearing a “Zacatecas” jersey and a yellow hat in a series of videos, one of which was posted on his TikTok account.
The government filed an emergency disclosure request with TikTok and was able to obtain Reyna’s address in Compton, according to the complaint. Federal agents later confirmed that he had fled to Mexico.
On June 11, the Department of Homeland Security announced a $50,000 reward for Reyna, according to Reyna. news release. In the release, authorities said Reyna is on the FBI’s most wanted list for crimes.
This is Reyna’s place image and description were published in the United States and Mexico, including an Instagram post from the official White House account.
Mexican authorities took Reyna into custody in Sinaloa shortly after the position was made public, and Reyna turned herself in to the FBI. He was arrested at the San Ysidro Port of Entry and taken to LA
