Man sentenced to federal prison for dousing police cruiser with accelerant during LA riot
Yachua Mauricio Flores, 23, received a 37-month federal term and over $250,000 in restitution for pouring lighter fluid on a burning California Highway Patrol vehicle and throwing a scooter at officers during a June 2025 anti-ICE protest in Los Angeles.
A federal judge sentenced Yachua Mauricio Flores, 23, to 37 months in prison and ordered restitution of $253,415 for his role in a violent anti-ICE demonstration in downtown Los Angeles on June 8, 2025. Flores, who arrived in the United States as a toddler, stood on the 101 Freeway overpass, poured lighter fluid onto a burning California Highway Patrol car, and later directed another participant to add more accelerant, intensifying the fire.
He also threw an electric scooter over the railing toward officers, endangering their lives. The United States Attorney for the Central District of California, Bill Essayli, said the sentencing underscores a zero-tolerance stance toward assaults on police. Flores is the latest of six defendants who have pleaded guilty to crimes ranging from hurling fireworks to using deadly weapons during the riot, with others already receiving multi-year federal sentences.
Why it matters
The case shows federal authorities' commitment to prosecuting violent attacks on police during civil unrest.
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