LOS ANGELES – In a significant legal development, a federal judge has thrown out the criminal charges against a prominent TikTok personality from Los Angeles. The judge cited constitutional breaches after the influencer’s legal team was denied access to him during his time in immigration detention.
On Saturday, U.S. District Judge Fernando Olguin ruled to dismiss the charges against Carlitos Ricardo Parias, a social media figure known for documenting law enforcement activities. Judge Olguin highlighted that Parias’s constitutional rights were compromised when federal authorities repeatedly blocked communication between him and his defense attorneys, impeding his trial preparation. The dismissal is with prejudice, meaning the charges cannot be refiled.
Judge Olguin stated, “The government’s inability to manage the overlapping actions of its various agencies while aggressively advancing Mr. Parias’s criminal case led to a situation ripe for constitutional violations, which indeed occurred.”
In response, the U.S. Attorney’s office in Los Angeles expressed its disagreement with the court’s findings, stating they are considering an appeal. “We strongly disagree with the court’s interpretation of the facts and its legal conclusions,” the statement read.
Parias faced indictment last month, entering a not guilty plea to allegations of assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon and damaging government property.
The allegations arose from an incident in October, where federal authorities accused Parias of using his vehicle to collide with theirs as they attempted to detain him on an immigration warrant, resulting in him being shot in the elbow. Released on bond pending trial, Parias was held at an immigration detention center in Adelanto, California. The facility, managed by The GEO Group, is located approximately 70 miles northeast of Los Angeles.
U.S. authorities say Parias is a Mexican citizen living in the country illegally. A message seeking comment was left for immigration attorney Carlos Jurado.
Parias is well-known in South Los Angeles for his Spanish-language videos posted on TikTok on two accounts with more than 340,000 combined followers. Videos on his page dating back to 2024 document police activity, car accidents and fires, as well as tortilla-making and rainy days in Los Angeles. This year, the footage has also focused on demonstrations against immigration enforcement and arrests by federal deportation authorities.
Parias is one of many social media users who post about immigration raids and arrests across Southern California, often relaying information in real time to alert community members. He was hospitalized initially after he was shot during his October arrest.
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