A Los Angeles County man accused of throwing a flaming Molotov cocktail at sheriff’s deputies during an immigration enforcement operation in Paramount last month pleaded not guilty to federal charges.
Emiliano Garduno Galvez, 23, pleaded not guilty Thursday to possession of an unregistered destructive device and civil disorder, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. A trial date was set for Aug. 19.
At a previous hearing, Galvez was denied bond after a magistrate judge noted a risk of flight and an attempt to obstruct justice as well as his criminal history. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Yang told the judge Galvez “overstayed a visa” for more than a decade.
According to prosecutors, the allegations against Galvez stem from the evening of June 7 in Paramount, a community in southern Los Angeles County where a crowd gathered earlier in the day near a staging area for federal agents preparing for immigration enforcement operations. Galvez lit and threw the firebomb over a wall where deputies were conducting crowd control for the protest, prosecutors said.
“When protesting crosses the line into violence, the penalties will be severe,” U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said in a statement last month. “Possessing a Molotov cocktail or another destructive device is punishable by up to 10 years in federal prison.”
Essayli said the cases are just two of many the law enforcement agencies are investigating in connection with violence that broke out during largely peaceful protests during that June weekend and the following week.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said Galvez had been previously deported and had a criminal record.
A conviction for possession of an unregistered destructive device carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.