A federal grand jury indicted Jonathan Caravello on a felony assault charge for allegedly throwing a tear-gas canister back at U.S. Border Patrol agents during a July 10 protest. The protest occurred during large immigration raids at Glass House Farms in Camarillo and Carpinteria that resulted in more than 300 arrests of undocumented workers. One worker died after falling 30 feet while attempting to flee agents. Prosecutors allege protesters impeded law enforcement, threw rocks at vehicles, and that officers deployed tear gas for crowd control. Caravello posted $15,000 bail and was released on July 14.
A professor at Cal State Channel Island has been charged with assaulting U.S. Border Patrol agents with a deadly or dangerous weapon - a canister of their own tear gas. On Wednesday, a federal grand jury indicted Jonathan Caravello, 37, of Ventura on one felony count of assault after he was arrested at a protest against an immigration raid at a Ventura County marijuana farm. Prosecutors say that agents deployed the tear gas as a crowd control measure during the July 10 protest and that Caravello picked up a canister and lobbed it back at officers. If convicted as charged, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
The incident unfolded during a heated clash between protesters and agents at Glass House Farms' weed growing site in Camarillo. Caravello posted $15,000 bail and was released on July 14. The massive immigration operation led to the arrests of more than 300 workers without documentation during simultaneous raids at Glass House Farms' Camarillo and Carpinteria grow sites, according to the Department of Homeland Security. One worker died after falling 30 feet from a greenhouse roof in an attempt to flee federal agents in Camarillo.
During the operation, a crowd of several hundred protesters gathered at the Laguna Road entrance to the Camarillo site. Prosecutors allege that protesters used their bodies and cars to impede federal law enforcement from exiting the farm and threw rocks at agents' vehicles, which broke windows and side-view mirrors. "For agents' safety, law enforcement deployed tear gas among the protesters to assist with crowd control, ensure officer safety, and to allow law enforcement to depart the location," prosecutors said.
Caravello is accused of chasing after a tear gas canister that rolled past him and throwing it overhand back at Border Patrol agents. He then allegedly left the protest and returned two hours later wearing a different T-shirt and shoes, according to court documents. Caravello posted $15,000 bail and was released on July 14.
Collection
[
|
...
]