Ismael Vega, 42, has been sentenced to 37 months in federal prison for his role in a violent anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protest that occurred on June 8, 2025. The U.S. Attorney's Office announced the sentencing on Monday, stating Vega pleaded guilty in April to obstructing, impeding, and interfering with law enforcement during a civil disorder.
According to court documents, Vega was part of a large crowd gathered on an overpass above U.S. Highway 101 in Los Angeles. As protests against federal immigration enforcement escalated into violence, rioters began dropping burning debris, fireworks, and other objects toward a California Highway Patrol (CHP) vehicle stationed below. Prosecutors stated that Vega knew officers were trapped beneath the overpass.
Vega admitted to assisting others in igniting debris and then setting a large piece of cardboard ablaze himself. He held the burning cardboard over the railing and dropped it onto the CHP cruiser. During the incident, Yachua Mauricio Flores, 23, poured a liquid onto the flames, causing the fire to intensify while Vega gestured toward it, court records show. Vega also threw rocks at officers as they attempted to clear the overpass, acknowledging that the actions created a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury to the officers.
Federal prosecutors described the civil disorder as significant in its magnitude and cited a statement from a CHP sergeant with nearly three decades of service, highlighting the deep impact the attack had on law enforcement personnel present.
The incident unfolded two days after other clashes involving federal agents carrying out immigration enforcement operations in Los Angeles. Vega is the fifth individual sentenced in connection with the overpass attack, for which federal prosecutors had initially charged seven people.
Flores is scheduled for sentencing on August 3 and faces up to five years in federal prison. Adam Charles Palermo, 40, identified by prosecutors as the lead defendant, is scheduled for sentencing on December 14. Palermo pleaded guilty to assaulting, resisting, and impeding people assisting federal officers with a deadly or dangerous weapon and faces up to 20 years in prison.