The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is conducting a manhunt for a suspect who allegedly assaulted a federal officer and threw rocks at law enforcement vehicles amid the massive Los Angeles riots against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations.
In a Monday statement on X, formerly Twitter, FBI Los Angeles announced that the agency had identified the suspect responsible for assaulting a federal officer on Saturday as 40-year-old Elpidio Reyna from Compton, California. FBI Los Angeles said the 40-year-old suspect is “considered a fugitive” and confirmed that law enforcement officials are conducting a manhunt for Reyna.
Sharing pictures of the 40-year-old suspect on social media, FBI Los Angeles announced that a reward of up to $50,000 is currently being offered for information that leads to Reyna’s arrest and conviction. FBI officials warned that Reyna “should be considered armed and dangerous” and urged the public to notify the FBI regarding any information pertaining to the case.
According to Fox News, Reyna allegedly threw rocks at law enforcement vehicles in Paramount, California, at roughly 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. The outlet noted that the 40-year-old suspect’s actions resulted in a federal officer being injured and caused damage to the law enforcement vehicles.
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In a statement obtained by Fox News, FBI Director Kash Patel said, “If you assault a law enforcement officer, you’re going to jail—period.” Addressing the ongoing riots in Los Angeles, Patel told Fox News, “It doesn’t matter where you came from, how you got here, or what cause you claim to represent. If local jurisdictions won’t stand behind the men and women who wear the badge, the FBI will.”
In a similar warning on social media, Patel wrote, “Hit a cop, you’re going to jail… doesn’t matter where you came from, how you got here, or what movement speaks to you. If the local police force won’t back our men and women on the thin blue line, we @FBI will.”
On Sunday, Patel explained that his responsibility is to the American people and emphasized that the FBI does not need “permission to enforce the constitution.” The FBI director noted that Los Angeles is “under siege by marauding criminals” and warned that the FBI will work to restore law and order to the city.
