


President Donald Trump and his administration have long promised to tackle crime more seriously than their predecessors.
Wednesday’s move against two Californian men allegedly associated with the destructive riots and looting going on in Los Angeles shows that the current administration is putting its money where its mouth is.
According to the United States Attorney’s Office in the Central District of California, two men who allegedly brought incendiary weapons to the riots have been charged.
Emiliano Garduno Galvez, 23, and Wrackkie Quiogue, 27, “have been charged via federal criminal complaints with possessing Molotov cocktails during the recent civil unrest in downtown Los Angeles and Paramount stemming from protests against federal immigration enforcement operations,” per the Justice Department.
Both men are in custody.
“When protesting crosses the line into violence, the penalties will be severe,” said United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “Possessing a Molotov cocktail or another destructive device is punishable by up to 10 years in federal prison.
“The vile attacks such as the ones alleged in these complaints 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.”
Essayli also spoke about the federal charges live:
.@USAttyEssayli announces federal charges against two more individuals for throwing Molotov cocktails at federal law enforcement officers during the Los Angeles riots.
Under the Trump Administration, lawlessness will NOT be tolerated. pic.twitter.com/uGrgTJTkGy
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 11, 2025
“Under the Trump Administration, lawlessness will NOT be tolerated,” the clip of Essayli, posted by Trump’s social media rapid response team, noted.
KNBC-TV reported that Galvez lit and threw a Molotov cocktail over a wall while officers were trying to disperse a crowd. It’s unclear whether anyone was hit or injured in that incident.
Quiogue, meanwhile, was arrested by authorities who said he had an unlit Molotov and a lighter near a federal building. When approached, Quiogue reportedly fled, tossing the cocktail in his escape attempt.
Those two men weren’t the only ones busted, according to the Department of Justice release.
Christian Andres Garcia, 32, and Rene Luna, 43, were both “[c]harged separately via criminal complaints.”
Both of them face misdemeanor charges of assault on a federal officer during a protest in Santa Ana. They could face up to a year in prison.
Quiogue made his initial court appearance Tuesday.
Galvez, Garcia and Luna are expected to do the same “in the coming days,” per the DOJ.
As noted in the release: “A criminal complaint contains allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”
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