A Compton man who was previously on the FBI’s most wanted list pleaded guilty Tuesday to assaulting and injuring a federal officer during an anti-immigration enforcement protest last year.
Elpidio Reyna, 41, admitted to throwing rocks at a convoy of government vehicles during a June 7 protest in Paramount. One of the rocks shattered the glass of a vehicle, injuring a Customs and Border Protection officer by cutting his forehead, according to the plea agreement.
Reyna pleaded guilty to a felony count of assault on a federal officer by deadly or dangerous weapon resulting in bodily injury. He has been in federal custody since July 2025.
When Reyna is sentenced in August, he faces up to 20 years in prison.
“This defendant could have easily killed a federal officer or innocent bystander,” First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli said in a statement. “As he found out the hard way, violence against law enforcement is not constitutionally protected and will be met with swift justice. Those who engage in similar violence will be arrested, charged, and eventually convicted in a court of law.”
Reyna’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Reyna is among more than 100 people who have been charged since June for alleged assaults on agents or interference with immigration enforcement. As of this month, according to the U.S. attorney’s office in L.A., 24 people have pleaded guilty to assault, impeding and other charges, and 23 have had charges dismissed.
Six have gone to trial, including five for assault on a federal officer, and all have resulted in acquittals.
The case against Reyna centered around a protest outside the Paramount Business Center, across the street from Home Depot. Protesters began arriving at the Paramount complex, which houses Homeland Security Investigation offices, around 10 a.m.
Federal law enforcement officers were staging a joint enforcement operation in the area, according to the plea agreement. Reyna admitted that he and others began throwing rocks at the officers’ vehicles, lit objects on fire and impeded law enforcement activity.
Reyna admitted to throwing a rock at a vehicle with a CBP officer, identified only by his initials R.T., inside. The rock shattered the glass and led to a cut on R.T.’s forehead.
The next day, Reyna was charged in a federal criminal complaint with assaulting a federal officer. In the complaint, prosecutors allege he was identified as the man wearing a “Zacatecas” jersey and a yellow helmet in a series of videos, one of which was posted to his TikTok account.
The government made an emergency disclosure request to TikTok and was able to find Reyna’s address in Compton, according to the complaint. Federal agents later confirmed he had fled to Mexico.
On June 11, the Department of Homeland Security announced a $50,000 reward to locate Reyna, according to a news release. In the release, federal authorities said Reyna was on the FBI’s most wanted list tied to the crime.
Reyna’s photograph and description were publicized in the United States and Mexico, including in an Instagram post from the official White House account.
Mexican authorities took Reyna into custody in Sinaloa state shortly after the post was made public, and Reyna surrendered to the FBI. He was arrested at the San Ysidro Port of Entry and taken to L.A.
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