A California man was sentenced Monday to more than three years in federal prison for his role in a violent confrontation during last year's anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles, where he admitted targeting law enforcement officers trapped beneath an overpass. Ismael Vega, 42, of the Westlake neighborhood, received a 37-month prison term and was ordered to pay $253,415 in restitution for his involvement in the June 8, 2025, attack, according to the Justice Department.
Prosecutors said Vega was among a large crowd gathered on the Main Street overpass above U.S. Highway 101 as protests over federal immigration enforcement descended into chaos. Court documents show Vega knew California Highway Patrol officers were trapped below when rioters began dropping burning debris, fireworks, and other objects toward a patrol vehicle parked on the highway. Vega repeatedly helped others ignite debris before setting a large piece of cardboard on fire himself. He then held the burning cardboard over the railing, lined it up with the hood of the CHP vehicle, and dropped it onto the cruiser. As the cardboard burned, another individual poured a liquid onto the flames, causing the fire to grow while Vega stood nearby and gestured toward the blaze, according to prosecutors.
Vega also admitted to 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. In a sentencing memorandum, federal prosecutors described the civil disorder as standing apart in its magnitude. They cited a statement from a CHP sergeant with nearly three decades in law enforcement who described the deep toll the attack took on him and his son, underscoring how violent the incident became.
U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli wrote on social media after the sentencing: «Those who attack our brave officers protecting public safety will face federal prison time for their crimes. Let this be a warning to others who think they can act without consequences.» Vega pleaded guilty in April to obstructing, impeding, and interfering with law enforcement during civil disorder.
The attack unfolded two days after violence erupted against federal agents carrying out immigration enforcement operations in Los Angeles. Federal prosecutors previously charged seven people in the overpass attack. Vega is the fifth person sentenced in the case. Adam Charles Palermo, identified as the lead defendant, 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 at his scheduled Dec. 14 sentencing. Yachua Mauricio Flores, who poured the liquid onto the flames, faces up to five years in federal prison at his Aug. 3 sentencing.
