A teenager from La Jolla, California, has pleaded guilty in federal court to violating the Marine Mammal Protection Act after a video circulated online showing him kicking a sea lion.
Tyler Muehl, 18, admitted to pursuing and kicking the animal four times on July 22 near Ellen Browning Scripps Park. Video evidence, which Muehl agreed was an accurate recording, captured him approaching the California sea lion with his hands raised, as if preparing to fight, and calling himself "Max Holloway."
The sea lion attempted to flee, stumbling on the sea wall, but Muehl continued to chase and kick at it until it escaped onto the beach. The incident was captured on cellphone footage, posted to Snapchat and later Instagram, which subsequently went viral and led to a federal investigation.
"National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement takes all violations of the Marine Mammal Protection Act very seriously," said NOAA-Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement West Coast Division Assistant Director Eric Morgan. "Intentionally striking or kicking a marine mammal is not only illegal—it is dangerous for the well-being of the animal."
Muehl pleaded guilty to knowingly and unlawfully "tak[ing] a marine mammal" by harassing and hunting a California sea lion. Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, "take" includes harassment, defined as an act of pursuit, torment, or annoyance that has the potential to injure a marine mammal or disrupt its normal behavioral patterns.
La Jolla is known as one of San Diego County's wealthiest neighborhoods, with median home values ranging between $2.3 million and $2.9 million and average household incomes exceeding $210,000.
Muehl is scheduled to be sentenced on October 20 at 9:30 a.m. by U.S. Magistrate Judge Jill L. Burkhardt. The misdemeanor charge carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine. US Attorney Adam Gordon stated, "Federal crime. Federal consequences."