{"id":999778,"date":"2026-08-14T07:07:19","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T07:07:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/999778\/"},"modified":"2026-08-14T07:07:19","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T07:07:19","slug":"la-jolla-teen-faces-justice-after-kicking-helpless-sea-lion-in-viral-attack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/999778\/","title":{"rendered":"La Jolla teen faces justice after kicking helpless sea lion in viral attack"},"content":{"rendered":"

A privileged La Jolla teenager who repeatedly kicked a fleeing sea lion <\/a>at one of Southern California\u2019s most lavish seaside communities is finally facing the consequences.<\/p>\n

Tyler Muehl, 18, pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to violating the Marine Mammal Protection Act <\/a>after a viral video captured him pursuing and kicking a sea lion at La Jolla Cove.<\/p>\n

He even called himself \u201cMax Holloway,\u201d referring to the Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter. Courtesy Department of Justice<\/p>\n

La Jolla ranks among the five richest neighborhoods in San Diego County. Courtesy Department of Justice<\/p>\n

The disturbing episode unfolded in a community where the good life comes with a staggering price tag.<\/p>\n

La Jolla ranks among the five richest neighborhoods in San Diego County, with median home values averaging between $2.3 million and $2.9 million and average household incomes topping $210,000.<\/p>\n

La Jolla Beach and the Pacific Ocean. Getty Images<\/p>\n

But on July 22, prosecutors say Muehl chose to use the waterfront as the scene of an ugly attack on an animal that had been quietly sitting on a sea wall.<\/p>\n

The teenager approached the California sea lion near Ellen Browning Scripps Park with his hands raised as though he were preparing to box or fight it.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSign up for the California Morning Report newsletter\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCalifornia’s top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

He even called himself \u201cMax Holloway,\u201d referring to the Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter.<\/p>\n

The he started kicking. <\/p>\n

The animal tried to flee. Courtesy Department of Justice<\/p>\n

Muehl admitted in his plea agreement that he kicked at the animal four separate times and made contact while doing so.<\/p>\n

Twice, he forcefully kicked toward its face, sending the sea lion rearing back and recoiling.<\/p>\n

The animal tried to flee.<\/p>\n

Muehl chased it.<\/p>\n

After the second kick, the sea lion turned to escape.<\/p>\n

It stumbled on the sea wall as it fled, but Muehl continued after it and kicked toward it a third time.<\/p>\n

Then came a fourth kick.<\/p>\n

Muehl continued after it. Courtesy Department of Justice<\/p>\n

The teenager kept pursuing the sea lion until it finally managed to get over the sea wall and escape onto the beach.<\/p>\n

Muehl agreed that video of the incident was a fair and accurate recording of what happened.<\/p>\n

\u201cFederal crime. Federal consequences,\u201d US Attorney Adam Gordon said.<\/p>\n

The case erupted after cellphone footage was posted on Snapchat and later Instagram, showing a young man kicking and chasing the sea lion.<\/p>\n

People play on the beach at La Jolla Cove in San Diego. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n

A Californian sea lion. Getty Images\/imageBROKER RF<\/p>\n

The video went viral and triggered a federal investigation by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.<\/p>\n

\u201cNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration\u2019s Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement takes all violations of the Marine Mammal Protection Act very seriously,\u201d said NOAA-Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement West Coast Division Assistant Director Eric Morgan. \u201cIntentionally striking or kicking a marine mammal is not only illegal\u2014it is dangerous for the well-being of the animal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Muehl pleaded guilty to knowingly and unlawfully \u201ctak[ing] a marine mammal\u201d in waters or on lands under US jurisdiction by harassing and hunting a California sea lion, Zalphus californianus.<\/p>\n

Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, \u201ctake\u201d includes harassment, defined as an act of pursuit, torment or annoyance that has the potential to injure a marine mammal or disrupt its behavioral patterns, including migration, breathing, nursing, breeding, feeding or sheltering.<\/p>\n

The misdemeanor carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine.<\/p>\n

Muehl is scheduled to learn his fate Oct. 20, at 9:30 a.m., when US Magistrate Judge Jill L. Burkhardt is set to sentence him.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A privileged La Jolla teenager who repeatedly kicked a fleeing sea lion at one of Southern California\u2019s most…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":999779,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[4,3],"tags":[276,5248,50,31724,3549,29978,67,132,68,1154],"class_list":["post-999778","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-united-states","category-us","tag-california","tag-metro","tag-news","tag-pacific-ocean","tag-san-diego","tag-sea-lions","tag-united-states","tag-unitedstates","tag-us","tag-us-news"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/117092604205978920","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/999778","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=999778"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/999778\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/999779"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=999778"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=999778"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=999778"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}