A career criminal accused of throwing a Molotov cocktail at a Los Angeles hotel where federal agents were staying last week during immigration enforcement operations has been charged.
Eric Anthony Rodriguez, 39, is charged with the charged with the federal equivalent of having a bomb or explosive device, according to court documents.
Rodriguez hurled the Molotov cocktail on June 21 at a hotel near Los Angeles International Airport, where 15 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and 12 Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents were staying, the Justice Department said.
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"This coward threw a Molotov cocktail at a hotel in Los Angeles where 27 DHS law enforcement officers were staying," said Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. "Thankfully, the attack was unsuccessful, and no one was injured."
The device fell into some bushes and was extinguished by a hotel employee. The Los Angeles Police Department was called to investigate the incident and quickly zeroed in on Rodriguez after obtaining surveillance footage from nearby businesses.
He was arrested hours later after he was found asleep near a gas station one block away from the hotel, authorities said.
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McLaughlin blamed the incident, and others in which law enforcement personnel have been assaulted, on sanctuary city politicians who have blamed the Trump administration for targeting illegal immigrants, even those with criminal records, for deportation.
"Dangerous rhetoric by sanctuary politicians has fanned the flames of violence against federal law enforcement-and it has led to a 500% increase in assaults against ICE," she said. "Secretary Noem has been perfectly clear: Anyone who threatens the lives of federal officers will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law-and that is exactly what will happen to Rodriguez."
The charges against Rodriguez mark the third case of a federal 'bomb/ or explosive' charge against a person for throwing a Molotov cocktail in relation to the Los Angeles riots that occurred earlier this month in opposition to immigration enforcement operations.
Rodriguez has a lengthy criminal history, with previous convictions for assault with a deadly weapon, second-degree robbery, falsifying checks, theft and vandalism. He also had an outstanding felony warrant for violating parole.
He was most recently convicted of first-degree robbery in March 2024 and was sentenced to two years in prison.
