Tow Truck Driver Who Allegedly Took ICE Vehicle During Los Angeles Raid Found Not Guilty
A Los Angeles jury returned a “not guilty” verdict in the case of a tow truck driver accused of theft for towing a government vehicle used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during a downtown raid earlier this year.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office has charged Bobby Nuñez, 33, a truck driver from Los Angeles, with “theft of government property,” punishable by up to ten years in prison. But a jury found him not guilty Friday.
Nunez’s attorneys, public defenders Rebecca Harris and David Menninger, told reporters: “We are pleased to confirm that the jury has exonerated our client Bobby Nunez. We thank the jurors for their service as a vital safety net against prosecutorial excesses in our constitutional system.”
In a statement, the U.S. Attorney’s Office told KABC news: “The trial lasted four days. The jury deliberated for more than three hours. We have no further comment.”
In September, Los Angeles U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli posted to X videos of the federal SUV being towed during an ICE raid downtown on August 15, as well as video of Nunez’s arrest.
The August raid focused on Tatiana Martinez, a 23-year-old illegal alien from Colombia who allegedly livestreamed immigration enforcement activities on TikTok. The same video shows her being pulled from her car and arrested.
An immigration officer can be seen chasing the tow truck as it takes off with the SUV and someone shouts obscenities off camera.
Essayli wrote on X: “Apparently (Nunez) thought it would be funny to interfere with our immigration enforcement operations. Now he can laugh behind bars while he faces justice.”
According to a press release from Essayli’s office issued in September, law enforcement officers used two vehicles with their emergency lights on to prevent Martinez’s vehicle from escaping.
According to the press release:
During the officers’ struggle to arrest Martinez, Nunez approached Martinez’s vehicle and began to press the passenger side door of her vehicle on an officer, who then threatened Nunez with arrest. After being informed that the officers were conducting a federal investigation, Nunez swore at the officers and told them, “Something was going to happen to them.”
As officers spoke to a second man accused of interfering with the arrest, Nuñez allegedly took off in the SUV, according to the release.
Inside the vehicle were his keys and a gun locked in a safe, authorities said.
Contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the bestselling author of the Los Angeles crime novel Below the line and nine other mystery novels and non-fiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com to find out more.
