A Los Angeles man accused of joining a violent clash during last year’s anti-ICE unrest has been handed a federal prison sentence of more than three years after admitting he interfered with officers amid the turmoil.
Ismael Vega, 42, from the city’s Westlake neighborhood, was sentenced Monday to 37 months behind bars and ordered to pay $253,415 in restitution in connection with the June 8, 2025, incident, the Justice Department said.
After the sentencing, U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli posted on X that anyone who assaults officers working to protect public safety should expect federal prison time, calling the case a warning to others who believe they can avoid accountability.
Vega entered a guilty plea in April to obstructing, impeding and interfering with law enforcement during a civil disorder.
Court filings said Vega was part of a large group assembled on the Main Street overpass above U.S. Highway 101 as demonstrations against federal immigration enforcement spiraled into violence in downtown Los Angeles.
Prosecutors said Vega was aware that California Highway Patrol officers were positioned below the overpass when members of the crowd began throwing burning debris, fireworks and other objects toward a CHP patrol vehicle underneath.
Federal prosecutors named Ismael Vega as one of the individuals involved in the June 2025 anti-ICE riot on the Main Street overpass in downtown Los Angeles. (The United States Department of Justice)
According to court records, Vega repeatedly assisted others in lighting debris before setting a large piece of cardboard ablaze himself. He then held the burning cardboard over the overpass railing, positioned it above the hood of the CHP vehicle and dropped it onto the cruiser.
As the cardboard burned, Yachua Mauricio Flores, 23, poured a liquid onto the flames, causing the fire to grow as Vega stood nearby and gestured toward the blaze, according to prosecutors.
Vega also admitted throwing multiple rocks at officers as they attempted to clear the overpass. He acknowledged that the burning debris and other objects created a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury to the officers below.
Federal prosecutors say people on the Main Street overpass ignited debris that was later dropped toward California Highway Patrol officers during anti-ICE riots in downtown Los Angeles on June 8, 2025. (The United States Department of Justice)
“This civil disorder stood apart in its magnitude,” federal prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum.
Prosecutors cited a statement from a CHP sergeant with nearly three decades in law enforcement who described the impact the attack had on him and his son.
“His experience underscores how violent this incident became and the deep toll it took on all law enforcement present,” prosecutors wrote.
The attack unfolded two days after violence erupted against federal agents carrying out immigration enforcement operations in Los Angeles.
People gather along the Main Street overpass overlooking U.S. Highway 101 as a California Highway Patrol vehicle burns below during anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles. Federal prosecutors say burning debris and rocks were dropped from the overpass toward officers beneath it. (The United States Department of Justice)
Federal prosecutors previously charged seven people in connection with the overpass attack.
According to court documents, Vega, Flores and Adam Charles Palermo, 40, helped drop burning debris toward the CHP vehicle while others threw rocks at officers trying to clear the overpass.
Vega is the fifth person sentenced in the case.
Flores is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 3 and faces up to five years in federal prison.
Palermo, whom prosecutors identified as the lead person charged in the case, is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 14 after pleading guilty to assaulting, resisting and impeding people assisting federal officers with a deadly or dangerous weapon. He faces up to 20 years in prison.
