A man accused of throwing chunks of concrete at federal agents during a standoff in Paramount last month was taken into custody Wednesday at the U.S.-Mexico border in a negotiated surrender, the FBI announced.
Elpidio Reyna, 39, of Compton, was wanted for the alleged assault of a federal officer around 3:30 p.m. on June 7, during the early days of federal immigration enforcement sweeps, according to the bureau.
The incident, which was caught on video, garnered nationwide attention. It showed a man in a motorcycle helmet throwing rocks at federal vehicles as they drove by in Paramount. It was part of a larger clash between protesters and border patrol agents during the early days of the Trump Administration’s ramped-up immigration raids. The conflict was one of the flashpoints that propelled the feds to send in the National Guard, who soon took up residence at the Paramount business park where it occurred.
Reyna is accused of injuring a federal official while damaging law enforcement vehicles on Alondra Boulevard.
“The FBI issued video and photographs taken of the assailant on June 7 and Reyna was identified shortly thereafter,” according to an FBI statement. “When agents attempted to arrest Reyna, he was not located and agents developed information confirming that he fled to Mexico.”
The publicity led to Reyna’s arrest in the Mexican state of Sinaloa.
After agreeing to surrender, Reyna was arrested by FBI agents at the San Ysidro Port of Entry in San Diego County. Reyna was taken to Los Angeles, where he was due to appear before a U.S. magistrate on Wednesday.
City News Service and staff writer Jeremiah Dobruck contributed to this report.