Man sentenced to 4 years in prison for throwing Molotov cocktail during anti-ICE protest

A 23-year-old man was sentenced to four years in prison for throwing a Molotov cocktail at law enforcement during protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement last year.

Emiliano Garduño Gálvez, 23, initially pleaded not guilty to the charges but accepted a deal with federal prosecutors. In October, he pleaded guilty to one count of possession of an unregistered destructive device and one count of obstructing, impeding, or interfering with law enforcement during a civil disorder. 

"This defendant's reckless behavior threatened the lives and safety of law enforcement officers and that of a lawful protester," said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli. "My office remains steadfast in its efforts to prosecute and punish those who commit acts of violence against others."

The Department of Justice stated that Gálvez lit and threw a Molotov cocktail over a wall during a protest on June 7. Federal prosecutors said Gálvez knew that Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputies were on the other side of the wall.  

"[Gálvez] threw an incendiary device capable of killing someone," prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum. "And his destructive device came far closer to injuring a civilian holding a sign, as opposed to [Gálvez's] intended target – the sheriff's deputies."

No deputies were hit by the Molotov cocktail, according to authorities. 

"When protesting crosses the line into violence, the penalties will be severe," Essayli said in a statement last year. "Possessing a Molotov cocktail or another destructive device is punishable by up to 10 years in federal prison."

Gálvez has been in federal custody since June. Federal prosecutors said he was an undocumented immigrant from Mexico.