Tow Truck Driver Who Allegedly Took ICE Vehicle During Los Angeles Raid Found Not Guilty:
A Los Angeles jury returned a “not guilty” verdict in the case of a tow truck driver who was charged with theft for towing a government vehicle being used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during a downtown raid earlier this year.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office had charged Los Angeles truck driver Bobby Nuñez, 33, with “theft of government property,” which carries a penalty of up to ten years in prison. But a jury found him not guilty on Friday.
Nunez’s attorneys, Public Defenders Rebecca Harris and David Menninger, told reporters, “We are pleased to confirm that the jury exonerated our client Bobby Nunez. We thank the jurors for their service as an essential backstop against prosecutorial overreach in our constitutional system.”
In a statement, the U.S. Attorney’s office told KABC news, “The trial lasted four days. The jury deliberated for more than three hours. We have no further comment.”
In September, Los Angeles U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli posted on X videos of the federal SUV being towed during an August 15 downtown ICE raid as well as video of Nunez’s arrest.
The August raid focused on Tatiana Martinez, a 23-year-old illegal alien from Colombia who reportedly had been live streaming immigration enforcement activity on TikTok. The same video shows her being pulled from her car and arrested.
An immigration agent can be seen chasing the tow truck as it takes off with the SUV and someone shouts an obscenity off camera. --->READ MORE HERE
Jury acquits L.A. man who towed immigration agent’s car during TikTok influencer’s arrest:
A federal jury has acquitted a South L.A. man who was charged with stealing government property by towing an immigration agent’s vehicle during the arrest of a TikTok influencer in downtown Los Angeles earlier this year.
Bobby Nunez was arrested Sept. 2 after he was accused of interfering with the detainment of Tatiana Mafla-Martinez while she live-streamed her Aug. 15 arrest. Video of the incident showed an SUV being towed away from the parking garage of the Da Vinci Apartments, where Martinez is being pinned to the ground by agents.
The SUV was one of two vehicles being used to box in Martinez’s car and prevent her from escaping the luxury apartment complex, according to an affidavit filed with the complaint. Nunez was 33 at the time of the incident, and Martinez was 23.
After a four-day trial and more than three hours of deliberation, the jury found Nunez not guilty of one count of theft of government property Friday, according to the U.S. attorney’s office, which declined to comment on the verdict. He had faced up to 10 years in prison, if convicted.
Nunez’s attorneys, Deputy Federal Public Defenders Rebecca Harris and David Menninger, said they were pleased the jury exonerated their client.
“We thank the jurors for their service as an essential backstop against prosecutorial overreach in our constitutional system,” they said in a statement to The Times.
During the trial, the defense attorneys argued that the law enforcement vehicle was blocking the driveway to the complex and their client had moved it around the corner — just one block away. They said that the car was returned within 13 minutes.
In a Sept. 2 statement on X, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said Nunez had been arrested for “brazenly towing an [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] vehicle.”
“Apparently he thought it would be funny to interfere with our immigration enforcement operations,” Essayli said. “Now he can laugh behind bars while he faces justice.”
Martinez was arrested on suspicion of being a Colombian citizen living in Los Angeles illegally. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said Martinez had been convicted of driving under the influence in Los Angeles and had entered the country illegally in 2022, but was released. --->READ MORE HERE
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