San Diego DA charges Antifa in Pacific Beach attack on Trump supporters

San Diego County District Attorney Press Release:

Yesterday, San Diego County District Attorney  Summer  Stephan announced multiple  felony charges  against six of  the  eight  people  arrested in  connection with violent  criminal acts  committed  earlier this  year during a  demonstration  in Pacific Beach on January 9, 2021. 

Charges  against  the  defendants  include conspiracy to commit  a  riot, illegal  use  of  tear  gas, assault  by  means  likely  to produce  great  bodily  injury and vandalism. If  convicted, the  defendants  face  a  sentencing  range  of  probation up  to 10 years  and eight  months  in prison. 

The  defendants  who appeared  in court  today were  Luis  F. Mora, 30;  Joseph Gaskins,  21;  Martin Talab, 27;  Jeremy  White, 39;  Bryan Rivera,  21;  Brian  Lightfoot, 25;  and Jesse  Cannon, 31. A  readiness  hearing was set  for  December  15  and a  preliminary hearing is  currently set  for  December  17.  The  remaining two defendants  will be  arraigned  at a  later date.  An  outstanding  arrest warrant exists  for  the  ninth defendant. 

The Defendants are self-identified  to  be  affiliated  with  Anti-fascists or  Antifa and  in  this case organized into two groups, one  originating from  Los  Angeles  and  the  other  from  San Diego. The  defendants  began organizing on January 2,  2021 for  what  they  referred to as  “Direct Action”  against  a  demonstration  to take  place  on January 9,  2021 in  Pacific Beach.  

Evidence gathered  in  the investigation  shows that  Antifa members  reference to  “Direct Action”  means  acts  of  violence  such  as assault,  battery,  assault  with deadly weapons, arson, and vandalism.   On January  9, the  crowd  of  self-identified Antifa—  many of  them  dressed  in all  black  clothing commonly known as  “Black Bloc”  and wearing  Antifa  memorabilia—  gathered  at  the Pacific Beach  pier to  counter a  political demonstration  that was  referred  to  as  “Patriot March,”  in  support  of the  former President. 

The  group wearing all  black arrived an hour  prior  to the  scheduled beginning of  the  “Patriot March.” The  group gathered and began to march up and down the  boardwalk. On at  least  eight  separate occasions,  approximately 15 to 20 members  from  the  counter  protesting group (Antifa-affiliated) broke off  and surrounded perceived members  of  the  Patriot  March  group and attacked  them  using impact weapons  and mace. At  present,  there  are  16 known victims. At  one  point, a  line  of  20  to 25 counter  protesting  individuals  advanced on  a  smaller  group of  four people  from  the  Patriot  March, yelling obscenities  at  them  and screaming for  them  to run. 

One  member of  the  group, who was  dressed in black with their  face  covered, pulled out  a  can of  pepper  spray  and sprayed it  in  their  faces.  The smaller  group  was attacked  with  chairs,  sticks,  glass bottles,  full alcohol/beer  cans and  closed  fists as  they  were chased  down  the boardwalk.

The  Antifa-affiliated group surrounded several  minors  who  they believed to be  attending the  Patriot March, sprayed them  with mace  and  chased them  up the  boardwalk, shoving one  of  the  minors  to  the ground. The  minor  was  surrounded and beaten  resulting  in the  minor victim being  taken  to  the  hospital to  be treated  for  a concussion. In  addition  to  assaults  on  those  participating  in  the  Patriot March,  there  were  collateral victims  including a  dog that  was  maced, a  journalist  attempting to take  photos,  a  business  that  was vandalized,  and  assaults on  police officers. 

Video evidence  analysis  shows  that  overwhelmingly the  violence  in this  incident  was  perpetrated  by the Antifa  affiliates  and  was  not a  mutual fray  with  both  sides  crossing  out of  lawful First  Amendment expression into riot  and  violence.   

The  San Diego Police  Department  declared the  event  an unlawful  assembly and demanded that  the protestors  disperse. The  counter  protestors  threw  bottles, eggs, rocks  and sprayed at  the  officers  with mace  before  the  crowd was  finally broke  up.   

SDPD,  working  with  the  District Attorney’s  Office,  investigated  multiple  allegations  of violent criminal conduct.  As  a result  of  those investigations,  on  December  2,  search  and  arrest  warrants were served throughout  Los  Angeles  and San Diego counties. 

As  in  every  case,  the  District Attorney’s  Office  follows  the  rule  of law  in  bringing  charges  where  the evidence  supports it  beyond  a reasonable doubt  regardless of  the political  orientation  of  crime victims, as  the  right  to peaceful protest must  be  protected.  When  peaceful Black  Lives  Matter  protesters  were assaulted in  Lemon Grove, the  DA’s  Office  brought  felony charges  and obtained  felony convictions.