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LOS ANGELES – A driver who went viral for allegedly dropping off “bionic shield” face masks to Los Angeles rioters on Tuesday was arrested by the FBI in a sting at his home Thursday morning.
Alejandro Theodoro Orellana was taken into custody on suspicion of conspiracy to commit civil disorders.
After the arrest, U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli spoke with Fox News.
“We have made it a huge priority to try to identify, locate and arrest those who are involved in organizing, supporting, funding or facilitating these riots,” he said.
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“It appears they’re well-orchestrated, and coordinated and well-funded, so we want to understand who these people are and where this organization’s coming from and today was one of those first arrests, the key arrests that we did.”
A federal court hearing is scheduled for Thursday challenging President Donald Trump’s use of the National Guard and Marines to support immigration raids in Los Angeles.
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom warns that the military intervention is the onset of a much broader effort by Trump to overturn norms at the heart of America’s political system. Testifying Thursday before Congress, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul called it “an assault on our American values.”
The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday ordered federal prosecutors to prioritize criminal prosecution of protesters who destroy property or assault law enforcement, and to make sure every case they bring gets publicized, according to an internal email seen by Reuters.
The email, which was sent to all 93 U.S. attorneys, comes a week after a wave of protests that started in Los Angeles and have spread to other major cities against Trump’s immigration crackdown. Trump has dispatched some 700 U.S. Marines and 4,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles, saying they are needed to back up immigration raids.
“There should be no bottleneck of referrals for complaints and legal process,” wrote Associate Deputy Attorney General Aakash Singh.
“Push out press releases whenever you file charges in these matters,” he said. “We will not stop enforcing the law and we will not be deterred from keeping our districts safe.”
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
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