The mystery donor who distributed war time masks to protesters during the Los Angeles riots has been arrested.
Alejandro Theodoro Orellana faces a charge of conspiracy to commit civil disorders after he allegedly distributed tactical gear to suspected rioters on Tuesday.
He was taken into custody by FBI agents Thursday morning, US Attorney Bill Essayli confirmed.
Shocking video recorded during a local Fox broadcast Tuesday showed dozens of demonstrators rushing towards a Ford F-150 as a woman in the truck bed passed out gas masks and riot shields.
Orellana is suspected to have been driving the truck at that time.
Law enforcement are ‘moving quickly’ to identify and arrest all individuals involved in ‘organizing or supporting civil disorder in Los Angeles’, Essayli said.
The chaos in Los Angeles began last Friday when anti-ICE protesters seized on a handful of police raids across the city.
Peaceful demonstrations quickly turned into riots that saw downtown businesses looted, a major freeway blocked and vehicles set ablaze.
Alejandro Theodoro Orellana was taken into custody Thursday morning on alleged Conspiracy to Commit Civil Disorders
Orellana is believed to have been driving the Ford F-150 that dispersed tactical gear to rioters
Orellana and an unidentified woman were caught on camera Tuesday dispersing tactical gear to a large crowd of rioters near the federal buildings in downtown.
The woman passed out ‘bionic shield’ branded gas masks and riot shields from the truck as the National Guard was stationed nearby.
Orellana and the woman appeared to be travelling in a group of masked individuals.
It is unclear if the group was affiliated with any particular organization.
Los Angeles police have made nearly 400 arrests and detentions since Saturday, the vast majority of which were for failing to leave the area at the request of law enforcement, according to the police department.
There have been a handful of more serious charges, including for assault against police officers and for possession of a Molotov cocktail and a gun.
Nine police officers have been hurt, mostly with minor injures. Some were transported to a hospital and released.
Orellana and the woman appeared to be travelling in a group of masked individuals. It is unclear if the group was affiliated with any particular organization
The group passed out ‘bionic shield’ branded masks to a large crowd of demonstrators near the federal buildings in downtown LA on Tuesday
The LA protests have spawned demonstrators across the country to take to the streets, with anti-ICE protests popping up in more than a dozen major cities.
The Trump administration has rapidly expanded military to deployments to Los Angeles over the past week and has said it is willing to send troops to other cities to assist with immigration enforcement and controlling disturbances.
Some 2,000 National Guard soldiers are in LA and are soon to be joined by 2,000 more, along with about 700 Marines, said Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman, who’s in charge of the operation.
About 500 of the Guard troops deployed to the LA protests have been trained to accompany agents on immigration operations, the commander said Wednesday.
The Guard has the authority to temporarily detain people who attack officers, but any arrests must be made by law enforcement.
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.
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 the nation’s democracy.
He also said that sending National Guard troops on the raids has further inflamed tensions in Los Angeles, where large and sometimes volatile protests have broken out since the crackdown began nearly a week ago.
The Trump administration has called the state’s lawsuit a ‘crass political stunt endangering American lives’.
Dozens of mayors from across the LA region banded together Wednesday to demand that the Trump administration end the stepped-up immigration raids and stop using military troops alongside agents.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the raids spread fear at the behest of the White House and that the city’s nightly curfew would remain in effect as long as necessary. It covers a section of downtown where the protests have been concentrated in the sprawling city.
‘If there are raids that continue, if there are soldiers marching up and down our streets, I would imagine that the curfew will continue,’ Bass said.
Those who have been caught up in the nationwide raids include asylum seekers, people who overstayed their visas and migrants awaiting their day in immigration court.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
