Four suspects were arrested for allegedly using “improvised devices” to damage Border Patrol vehicles during operations in Los Angeles.
In a post on X, U.S. Border Patrol El Centro Sector Chief Patrol Agent Gregory K. Bovino shared an image of one of the devices in question, which appeared to be a rubber or metal tube with two nails protruding from it. The device had been embedded in an armored vehicle’s wheel. The four suspects now face felony charges.
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“Just moments ago in Van Nuys during federal immigration law enforcement operations, 3 subjects attempted to impede & obstruct our efforts, using improvised devices aimed at disabling our vehicles. All three were arrested & now face felony charges,” Bovino said, later adding that a fourth suspect had been arrested.
“Everyone who assaults, impedes, or obstructs federal law enforcement operations will be arrested…don’t do it, it’s a felony charge!” he added, in response to a comment in support of the arrests.
Bovino was the same Border Patrol official involved in a standoff with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Monday. Bass confronted Bovino and other federal officials after a caravan of armored vehicles, National Guard troops, Border Patrol officers, and ICE agents arrived at MacArthur Park, a hub for illegal immigrants in Los Angeles.
Bass demanded that the group leave “right now, they need to leave because this is unacceptable.”
Bovino remained defiant, pledging that immigration enforcement operations like that on Monday would become a new normal.
“I don’t work for Karen Bass. Better get used to us now, cause this is going to be normal very soon. We will go anywhere, anytime we want in Los Angeles,” Bovino said.
The operation was one of the first major immigration enforcement operations since last month, when ICE raids triggered widespread riots that prompted a National Guard and Marine deployment to the city.
Last Tuesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) put in a request for federal disaster relief funding after the city suffered $1 billion in damages from looters and vandals who targeted hundreds of businesses during the anti-ICE riots.
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The damage to the Border Patrol vehicle comes amid growing violence against immigration enforcement agents. On Friday, nearly a dozen militants opened fire on ICE officers after luring them out of a building in what law enforcement described as a “planned ambush.”
Ten suspects were charged with three counts of attempted murder of a federal officer and three counts of discharging a firearm in relation to a violent crime. An 11th person was charged with obstruction of justice and conspiracy to attempt to conceal and destroy evidence.