LA County man Wrackkie Quiogue to plead guilty to possessing Molotov cocktail during anti-ICE protest
A Los Angeles County man is expected to plead guilty Wednesday to possessing a Molotov cocktail during a summer protest in downtown Los Angeles stemming from federal immigration enforcement operations.
Wrackkie Quiogue, 27, of Long Beach, has agreed to enter a plea to a single federal count of possession of an unregistered destructive device, which carries a possible sentence of up to 10 years in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
An affidavit filed with the charge contends that Quiogue possessed a Molotov cocktail on June 8 while holding a lighter during protests near federal buildings in downtown Los Angeles. The document alleges Los Angeles Police Department officers saw Quiogue with the device and quickly arrested him, but he threw the device as he was attempting to flee.
"When protesting crosses the line into violence, the penalties will be severe," First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said in a statement when Quiogue was charged.
Essayli said that an attack such as the one alleged in the complaint "could have resulted in life-altering or life-ending injuries to police officers, sheriff's deputies, and innocent bystanders. We will not relent in dispensing swift justice to criminals who take advantage of our country's freedoms to engage in lawlessness."
