Latest news with #AdrianMartinez
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
US citizen arrested by Border Patrol in Pico Rivera speaks out after violent arrest
The Brief Adrian Martinez was released from federal custody this week. Immigration officers arrested Martinez last week at the Pico Rivera Walmart after they said he punched two officers. Martinez was released because video of the arrest showed he didn't throw any punches. Martinez is being charged with conspiracy to impede or injure an officer. PICO RIVERA, Calif. - Following a federal hearing, Adrian Martinez was released from federal custody on a $5,000 bond this week. The 20-year-old was arrested by immigration officers at the Pico Rivera Walmart parking lot last week. The arrest was caught on camera. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Feds say man punched agents at Pico Rivera Walmart - security footage shows no punches What we know Federal immigration agents arrested Martinez on June 18 in the Walmart parking lot, when he tried to intervene while agents were conducting one of their operations, detaining undocumented immigrants. U.S. Customs and Border Patrol told FOX 11 after the incident that they arrested Martinez for allegedly punching two officers. But, Judge Patricia Donahue determined the video of the arrest did not show Martinez hitting officers, like they claimed, although it did show him trying to block a federal vehicle. SUGGESTED: LA ICE raids: Food vendor detained is being 'treated like an animal,' family says "I was scared," Martinez said, adding that he kept trying to get up when the officers subdued him, because he was afraid to get hit. Attorneys from the Miller Law Group, who are representing Martinez, say he is being charged — not with assault, or attempted assault — but conspiracy to impede or injure an officer, a felony. "It is clearly a trumped-up charge field to justify the federal agents' treatment" attorneys wrote in their release. What they're saying Martinez said he was held downtown, along with shackled, undocumented immigrants, and feared he'd be deported, even as he tried to tell officers he was born in the US. "They wouldn't talk to me, even let me use a phone to call my family and let them know were I was," Martinez said. Martinez's mother said she tried to show Adrian's birth certificate to agents at the Federal building, but they told her that Adrian wasn't there, even as he was watching his own mom from a van. He could not let her know where he was. "These are the people we are supposed to trust," Adrian's mother said. Martinez's arrest and the accusation that he hit officers resulted in loud protests in Pico Rivera, where ICE raids have prompted complaints from the public and politicians. Martinez is due back in court next month. The Source Information in this story is from interviews with the Martinez family and the Miller Law Group, and previous FOX 11 reports.
CBS News
6 days ago
- CBS News
L.A. County man released from federal custody after allegedly trying to impede an immigration operation
The 20-year-old Walmart employee accused of conspiracy to impede a federal investigation in Pico Rivera last week shared his side of the violent encounter with immigration agents that was caught on video and sparked protests. Now wearing a brace on his leg, Adrian Andrew Martinez said he's still bruised and in pain nine days after federal agents threw him to the ground and arrested him. "They didn't read me my Miranda rights," Martinez said. "They did nothing. They just basically kidnapped me, is what it seemed." A cell phone video of the encounter shows Martinez, wearing a blue Walmart vest, appearing to talk to the Customs and Border Patrol agents before authorities wrestled the 20-year-old to the ground. Martinez said he approached the agents after he saw them use what he called unnecessary force to apprehend an elderly Latino janitor in the Walmart parking lot. "I was just speaking, like telling them that's wrong, what you're doing is not right," Martinez said. "They took it the wrong way and threw me to the floor, and from then a man grabs me by my neck and throws me into a trash can thing." Martinez was arrested and held in downtown L.A. for three days. "They didn't treat him like a human being," his mom Mayra Villarreal said. "When they took him, they didn't give him clothes. The inmates were being nicer to him than the people working there." Before being released last Friday, Martinez said authorities tried to get him to admit to hitting an agent. "They were just trying to get me to admit the whole time," Martinez said. "In reality, no, I didn't. I was just speaking up for a man. They're the ones that came at me with violence." Miller Law Group in Pasadena is helping Martinez fight the federal charge for free. Attorney Chris Miller said his client was exercising his First Amendment right to free speech. "He saw someone being manhandled, an older man who was scared," Miller said. "He could see that person was scared and all he was doing was asking them what they were doing, why they were doing it and questioning why they were doing it that way. By questioning their authority, they took it upon themselves to respond violently and that's not OK. It's something we're going to be addressing." Initially, the U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli posted on X that Martinez "was arrested for an allegation of punching a border patrol agent in the face after he attempted to impede their immigration enforcement operation." Instead of assault, federal prosecutors charged Martinez with conspiracy to impede a federal investigation, according to the Department of Justice. Miller said he believes his client was not charged with assault because the video shows that he never hurt anyone. "In the end, charges were brought against him, we believe, to cover the agents' bad behavior," Miller said. A DOJ spokesperson said that Martinez will be arraigned on July 17 and that federal prosecutors had no further comment.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
U.S. citizen released, no assault charges after violent ICE arrest in L.A. County
Adrian Martinez, a 20-year-old U.S. citizen who was violently taken into custody by ICE agents in Pico Rivera, has been released from federal detention on a $5,000 bond, his attorneys announced Friday. 'We're very grateful our client will be released today,' said attorneys from the Miller Law Group. 'Adrian did nothing wrong, and was standing up for an elderly janitorial worker when he was violently assaulted and abducted by masked federal agents.' The incident occurred Tuesday in the parking lot of a large retail center that includes a Lowe's Home Improvement store in the 8600 block of Washington Boulevard. Video footage shows at least six federal law enforcement officers in a physical struggle with Martinez, who works at a nearby Walmart. Amid the chaos, someone can be heard shouting, 'He's a U.S. citizen!' Martinez appears to resist but is quickly taken to the ground and overpowered by additional agents before being placed in the back of a U.S. Customs and Border Protection vehicle. According to his family, Martinez intervened after witnessing ICE agents questioning a man, which escalated into a physical confrontation. The video does not show what happened immediately before the struggle, and it remains unclear what exactly led up to the incident. Since the footage went viral and sparked protests outside Pico Rivera City Hall, federal officials have pushed back on public criticism. 'Once again, a false narrative is and was being pushed out on the arrest of a U.S. Citizen in Pico Rivera, CA.,' U.S. Border Patrol Chief Patrol Agent Gregory K. Bovino said in a post to X. 'Don't take our word for it, check out [U.S. Attorney Eassayli's] take on it. This subject just caught a federal case for assault on a federal agent. DON'T ASSAULT.' Bovino was referring to an earlier post from U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, who shared video of the incident on his official government X account and alleged that Martinez had punched 'a border patrol agent in the face after he attempted to impede their immigration operation.' L.A. Dodgers pledge $1 million to support immigrant communities after ICE raid backlash However, attorneys with the Miller Law Group say no assault charges were filed against Martinez. 'U.S. Attorney Essayli and U.S. Border Patrol Sector Chief Gregory Bovino outrageously alleged that Adrian assaulted a federal agent. However, he has not been charged with an assault charge because he didn't assault anyone, and the evidence of that is clear,' the law group said in a statement. 'Instead, he has been charged with conspiracy to impede or injure an officer, a felony. This is a clearly trumped-up charge filed to justify the federal agents' violent treatment of Adrian.' The Miller Law Group said it plans to release more details in the coming days but added that for now, they are 'happy that Adrian will be able to get some rest and spend the weekend at home with his family.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
USBP agent claims ‘false narrative pushed' in arrest of U.S. citizen in L.A. County
A federal law enforcement official insisted on social media that a 'false narrative is and was being pushed' in the arrest of a 20-year-old U.S. citizen earlier this week in Pico Rivera. The incident unfolded in the parking lot of a sprawling retail center housing a Lowe's Home Improvement store in the 8600 block of Washington Boulevard. In footage of the June 17 incident obtained by KTLA, at least a half-dozen federal law enforcement officers are seen in a struggle with a young man, identified by family members as 20-year-old Adrian Andrew Martinez, who works at a nearby Walmart. Amid the fight, someone can be heard screaming, 'He's a U.S. citizen!' A day after the incident, United States Attorney Bill Essayli posted video of the incident to his official government X account and said the 20-year-old was arrested on allegations that he punched 'a border patrol agent in the face after he attempted to impede their immigration operation.' In both videos, Martinez is seen in a violent struggle with federal agents as they take him to the ground and eventually detain him, though it's not clear when the young man is alleged to have struck the agent, whether it was during the altercation or before the video starts rolling on the incident. 'Once again, a false narrative is and was being pushed out on the arrest of a U.S. Citizen in Pico Rivera, CA.,' U.S. Border Patrol Chief Patrol Agent Gregory K. Bovino said in a post to X about an hour and a half after Eassayli's post. 'Don't take our word for it, check out [U.S. Attorney Eassayli's] take on it. This subject just caught a federal case for assault on a federal agent. DON'T ASSAULT.' Plainclothes federal agent draws gun on man at stoplight in Pasadena Mayra Villarreal, Martinez's mother, who was not present during the incident, said she believes her son was trying to do the right thing. 'Adrian is a very caring person, and he likes to help people. I know that,' she said. 'So, whatever the case was, I know his intentions were good.' The incident sparked a demonstration attended by hundreds of people outside Pico Rivera City Hall, demanding city officials do more to protect citizens from raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Los Angeles Times
19-06-2025
- Los Angeles Times
Tensions flare as agents arrest another U.S. citizen for interfering in immigration arrests
A 20-year-old Walmart employee, Adrian Martinez, was returning from break on Tuesday when he saw Border Patrol agents taking a worker cleaning the shopping center parking lot in Pico Rivera. He jumped out of the car and wheeled the man's trash can in front of the vehicle as other passersby gathered around the truck yelling, blaring their horns. Surveillance and spectator video captured at the scene and looped in social media feeds show an agent rushing Martinez and shoving him to the ground. He gets back up, there is more shoving, and he then exchanges angry words with a masked officer carrying a rifle, before other agents swarm him and push him back down, then drag him to their truck. 'What is he doing? He's a f— hard worker,' Martinez can be heard yelling as more agents arrive, some in plain clothes, shoving him and forcibly arresting him. L.A.'s top's prosecutor, Bill Essayli, posted on X that Martinez 'was arrested for an allegation of punching a border patrol agent in the face after he attempted to impede their immigration enforcement operation.' The alleged punch was not clear on video footage. A person can be heard shouting, 'He's a U.S. citizen, bro,' as the agents shove Martinez into the car. In the videos of the confrontation, an agent is seen and heard cocking a gun, as others tussle with Martinez. Martinez is one of a handful of American citizens whose arrests or detainments by immigration officers over the last two weeks have gained widespread attention. Earlier this month Essayli charged union leader David Huerta with conspiracy to impede an officer after an encounter at a raid in downtown Los Angeles. A pregnant woman in Torrance was held after she stood between agents and the car carrying her husband. And less than three miles from Tuesday's incident, in Montebello, Border Patrol agents last week arrested Javier Ramirez, a U.S. citizen who was working at a tow yard. They also detained and questioned another U.S. citizen, Brian Gavidia, pushing him up against a fence as they asked him what hospital he was born in. The confrontations have added to tensions in the largely Latino enclaves in Los Angeles County where federal agents are conducting most of the raids. The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, has said that its officers are increasingly under threat while trying to enforce laws. Many in the community see it as a moral imperative to push back. Martinez's mom, Myra Villareal, said in some ways it didn't surprise her that her son tried to help. He often brings in stray animals that need a home. 'If someone gets hurt, he wants to be the first one there,' said his sister Samantha Villareal. 'I want justice for him,' his mom added. 'What happened to him is wrong. He didn't do anything wrong. I believed he was speaking up. Everybody has a right to speak. You know, freedom of speech.' She said she couldn't find Martinez for hours after his arrest. Around midnight, she finally confirmed he was being detained downtown. She talked to him Wednesday afternoon. In a statement to The Times, Customs and Border Protection said videos 'are missing critical moments and don't tell the whole story.' Border Patrol agents conducting 'roving patrols' were 'confronted by a hostile group that attempted to interfere with their duties' as they arrested an undocumented immigrant at the Lowe's store in the same plaza, the statement said. An agent was allegedly punched in the face and another agent was struck in the arm by a member of the group. The statement said the case against Martinez has been presented to the U.S. attorney's office for prosecution for impeding or assaulting a federal officer. No complaint was available as of Wednesday night. 'Agents and officers from DHS and partner agents continue to be confronted by hostile groups that interfere with their ability to perform their duties,' the statement read. 'This interference places those being arrested, the agents, and the community at risk. Interfering with federal law enforcement is a crime and a felony—citizen or not.' U.S. Border Patrol Sector Chief Greg Bovino, who has hundreds of his agents carrying out the sweeps in Southern California, doubled down. 'Once again, a false narrative is and was being pushed out on the arrest of a U.S. citizen in Pico Rivera, CA,' he posted on X. 'Don't take our word for it,' he said linking to Essayli's post. 'This subject just caught a federal case for assault on a federal agent. DON'T ASSAULT.' Oscar Preciado, who was at the scene and recorded video, pushed back on the allegations, saying that, 'they're trying to spin this and make it seem like [Martinez] was the aggressor when they were the aggressors the whole time.' In the Montebello raid, Ramirez was charged in a federal criminal complaint with assaulting, resisting or impeding a federal officer. Authorities allege that he was trying to conceal himself and then ran toward the exit of the tow yard and refused to answer questions about his identity and citizenship. They also allege he pushed and bit an agent. His attorney, Tomas De Jesus, has denied the allegations, stating that Ramirez 'is the victim, not the aggressor.' Officials in the targeted cities are raising flags about agents' tactics. Montebello Mayor Salvador Melendez said he'd watched the video of another U.S. citizen being questioned and called the situation 'extremely frustrating.' 'It just seems like there's no due process,' he said. 'They're going for a specific look, which is a look of our Latino community, our immigrant community. They're asking questions after. ... This is not the country that we all know it to be, where folks have individual rights and protections.' Rep. Linda T. Sánchez (D-Whittier), who represents the area, on Wednesday sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi and the acting director of ICE, Todd Lyons, saying she had 'grave concern regarding the arrest and detention' of Martinez. She said the incident appears to have violated civil rights laws. 'I am deeply troubled that a U.S. citizen, who supports his family by working at Walmart, and is, by all accounts, an upstanding member of his community, continues to be detained by the federal government,' she wrote. She demanded they provide planning documents and any warrants and that they review the agencies and personnel involved in the 'violent arrest and unconstitutional detention of Mr. Hernandez.' Pico Rivera City Manager Steve Carmona said in a statement Tuesday: 'We are increasingly concerned about the nature and tone of these recent actions. Reports of heightened enforcement tactics, warrantless stops, and operations that appear to target specific communities raise serious concerns about proportionality, fairness, and due process.' The videos have sparked outrage and underscored an increasing agitation on both sides. Immigrant advocates are chasing agents from neighborhood to neighborhood. Apps have popped up. Neighbors on Nextdoor and Ring blare warnings of raids. And crowds and live streamers gather when they spot unannounced immigration operation on the streets. On Tuesday night, dozens, including Martinez's friends, gathered in Pico Rivera to protest the immigration actions. They chanted 'ICE out of Pico' and waved Mexican and American flags. Preciado, a 33-year-old Instacart worker, shot video of the scuffle in the parking lot on Tuesday morning. He ran toward the scene after seeing a commotion with three Border Patrol trucks and three unmarked vehicles. In his video, Preciado questions and curses the agents as other arrive and jump out of unmarked trucks with rifles. 'You can hear one of the guys cock the gun ... and he was pointing it at us, telling us to get away,' Preciado recounted. By then, several masked agents with guns — some with camouflage, several in plain clothes — had taken custody of Vivaldo Montes Herrera, the man Martinez had tried to defend. Montes Herrera has lived in the U.S. for 27 years, according to his wife. Preciado said agents grabbed him as well, with one putting his hand around his neck. 'That's when I told him, I'm a U.S. citizen and I'm exercising my rights to record,' Preciado said. 'That's when the guy swatted the phone from my hand.' A video shows his phone being knocked to the ground. Preciado said his screen protector shattered from the impact. He said soon after, four or five people tackled Martinez to the ground. 'The guy weighs like 100 pounds, maybe. He doesn't need five people trying to tackle him and doing all this stuff to him,' Preciado said. 'You can see them twisting his arm, grabbing him by the neck, getting on top of him. 'This is not normal. This is not something that should be normal at all,' he said. 'These guys are armed and dressed as if they're going to war, on U.S. citizens, on people just trying to get by and work.' On Wednesday, Montes Herrera's wife, Claudia Mejia, said she still didn't know where her husband is being held. He had been able to call her briefly after his arrest. 'Me agarro migracion,' he told her, asking her to take good care of their nearly 2-year-old daughter. Normally, when he returned home to South L.A. from his shift around 3 p.m., his daughter waited excitedly to greet him at the door. He never arrived. On Wednesday, the girl wailed in the background as Mejia described her husband as a hard worker 'dedicated to his job and our home.' A doting father, her husband was often the one to put the baby to bed. With him gone, his wife said she's placed one of his shirts on the baby's pillow so the little girl could fall asleep with a piece of him. 'So she knows her father is there,' Mejia said. 'Tell me, what did he do that was so bad or so damaging for them to take him like they did.'
