This Man Was Filmed Stealing an ICE Vehicle – the Jury Just Issued Its Verdict

A federal jury acquitted a Los Angeles truck driver who was accused of stealing an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) vehicle.

Video footage that circulated on social media shortly after the incident showed the tow truck moving the ICE vehicle, seemingly to disrupt the ICE arrest of a TikToker in downtown Los Angeles.

From KTLA:

Bobby Nunez, 33, was found not guilty of one count of theft of government property following a four-day trial and more than three hours of jury deliberations, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The charge stemmed from an Aug. 15 incident at the Da Vinci Apartments in downtown Los Angeles, where federal immigration agents were arresting Tatiana Mafla-Martinez, a 23-year-old Colombian woman, as she live-streamed the encounter on TikTok. According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, agents used two government vehicles to box in Mafla-Martinez’s car at the exit of the complex’s parking structure, with emergency lights activated to prevent her from leaving.

Video from the scene showed one of the government vehicles, an SUV, being towed away as agents pinned Mafla-Martinez to the ground during the arrest. Federal prosecutors alleged that Nunez interfered with the operation by pressing the passenger-side door of Mafla-Martinez’s vehicle against an officer and later towing one of the law enforcement vehicles while agents were distracted by another individual who approached the scene.

Nuñez’s defense attorneys argued that the ICE vehicle was blocking an apartment complex driveaway and that their client had only moved it “around the corner” about one block away from where the incident occurred instead of actually stealing it.

The attorneys refuted the prosecution’s claim that he tried to deprive the government of its property by pointing out that the vehicle was returned within about 13 minutes of the encounter. 

Editor’s Note: Do you enjoy Townhall’s conservative reporting that takes on the radical left and woke media? Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth.

Join Townhall VIP and use promo code MERRY74 to get 74% off your membership.

A federal jury acquitted a Los Angeles truck driver who was accused of stealing an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) vehicle.

Video footage that circulated on social media shortly after the incident showed the tow truck moving the ICE vehicle, seemingly to disrupt the ICE arrest of a TikToker in downtown Los Angeles.

From KTLA:

Bobby Nunez, 33, was found not guilty of one count of theft of government property following a four-day trial and more than three hours of jury deliberations, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The charge stemmed from an Aug. 15 incident at the Da Vinci Apartments in downtown Los Angeles, where federal immigration agents were arresting Tatiana Mafla-Martinez, a 23-year-old Colombian woman, as she live-streamed the encounter on TikTok. According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, agents used two government vehicles to box in Mafla-Martinez’s car at the exit of the complex’s parking structure, with emergency lights activated to prevent her from leaving.

Video from the scene showed one of the government vehicles, an SUV, being towed away as agents pinned Mafla-Martinez to the ground during the arrest. Federal prosecutors alleged that Nunez interfered with the operation by pressing the passenger-side door of Mafla-Martinez’s vehicle against an officer and later towing one of the law enforcement vehicles while agents were distracted by another individual who approached the scene.

Nuñez’s defense attorneys argued that the ICE vehicle was blocking an apartment complex driveaway and that their client had only moved it “around the corner” about one block away from where the incident occurred instead of actually stealing it.

The attorneys refuted the prosecution’s claim that he tried to deprive the government of its property by pointing out that the vehicle was returned within about 13 minutes of the encounter. 

Editor’s Note: Do you enjoy Townhall’s conservative reporting that takes on the radical left and woke media? Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth.

Join Townhall VIP and use promo code MERRY74 to get 74% off your membership.