A federal grand jury has indicted Adrian Andrew Martinez, 20, of Pico Rivera, on a charge of conspiracy to impede a federal officer. The charge stems from an incident in June when immigration officers were attempting to arrest a person suspected of being in the country illegally at a shopping center parking lot in Pico Rivera.
Martinez’s arraignment is set for Thursday at the United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles. If convicted, he faces up to six years in federal prison.
“Today, a federal grand jury returned an indictment against this defendant for conspiracy to impede federal agents,” said Acting United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “He now faces up to six years in prison for his conduct. Make no mistake: There are serious, life-altering consequences for impeding law enforcement.”
According to court documents and the indictment, on June 17, Border Patrol agents were making an arrest when Martinez, who was employed at a nearby Walmart, exited his vehicle and confronted the agents. Other individuals also stopped their vehicles near the scene and partially blocked traffic lanes as agents attempted to leave with the arrestee.
The group honked their car horns and shouted at the agents while surrounding them both by car and on foot. Martinez reportedly positioned his vehicle to block the agents’ exit and placed a large trash can in front of their vehicle.
The charges outlined in the indictment are allegations; Martinez is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Homeland Security Investigations is handling the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Alexander P. Robbins is prosecuting the case.
