This article reports on the guilty plea and pending sentences of Adam Charles Palermo and others for violent actions against California Highway Patrol officers during a June 8, 2025 anti-ICE riot in downtown Los Angeles, outlining charges, co-defendants, and details of the incident, while preserving direct quoted material from official statements and embeds.
Actions have consequences, and no one now should understand that better than one Adam Charles Palermo, who is now facing the consequences for his attacks on California Highway Patrol officers during the anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles last year. He’s . The case underscores federal attention on attacks aimed at law enforcement during politically charged demonstrations.
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Adam Charles Palermo, 40, of Rampart Village, pleaded guilty on Monday to one felony federal count of assaulting, resisting, and impeding persons assisting federal officers and employees with a deadly or dangerous weapon.
Palermo and several other defendants were charged in connection with a violent attack on California Highway Patrol officers in downtown Los Angeles on June 8, 2025, during an anti-ICE riot.
Palermo, who remains in federal custody, will face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison at his sentencing hearing, which is scheduled for July 6.
A federal press statement summarized the prosecutions and the violence directed at officers trapped under an overpass. The statement confirms multiple guilty pleas tied to actions that included throwing objects and setting a vehicle on fire, and it frames the events as a serious threat to public safety and order.
Three California men pleaded guilty today to federal criminal charges for throwing rocks, fireworks, and ignited debris at California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers trapped underneath a downtown Los Angeles freeway overpass – with a CHP vehicle set ablaze – during anti-immigration law enforcement rioting last year.
Federal prosecutors have secured a total of six guilty pleas stemming from violence that occurred at the Main Street overpass on the 101 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles during the evening of June 8, 2025, when rioters targeted law enforcement officers during a protest against enforcement of U.S. immigration laws.
Prosecutors outlined the roster of defendants and the charges they admitted to, describing a coordinated episode of violence during a protest. The federal filings make clear that several individuals faced serious felony counts, while others pleaded to misdemeanor offenses tied to assaults on officers.
Guilty pleas were taken today from the following defendants:
- Ismael Vega, 41, of Westlake, who pleaded guilty to one felony count of obstructing, impeding, and interfering with law enforcement during a civil disorder;
- Balton Montion, 25, of Watsonville but who was a Los Angeles County resident during last year’s attack, who also pleaded guilty to one felony count of obstructing, impeding, and interfering with law enforcement during a civil disorder; and
- Junior Roldan, 27, of Hollywood, who pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of simple assault on a person assisting a federal officer,
On Monday, the following three defendants pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges stemming from the same incident:
- Adam Charles Palermo, 40, of Rampart Village, who pleaded guilty to one felony count of assaulting, resisting, and impeding persons assisting federal officers and employees with a deadly or dangerous weapon;
- Yachua Mauricio Flores, 23, of Lincoln Heights, who pleaded guilty to one felony count of obstructing, impeding, and interfering with law enforcement during a civil disorder; and
- Ronald Alexis Coreas, 23, of Westlake, who pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of simple assault on a person assisting a federal officer.
Officials pointed to specific actions during the incident: rioters reportedly hurled rocks, set off fireworks, and dropped ignited debris on officers who were attempting to clear a blocked overpass. At least one CHP vehicle was set on fire, with allegations that an accelerant was poured on the burning vehicle during the melee.
The Department of Justice will handle sentencing for those who pleaded guilty, with statutory maximums noted in the filings for the more serious felony counts. United States District Judge John F. Walter has scheduled sentences in the coming months for the men involved, and federal custody remains in place for some defendants.
For law enforcement and prosecutors, the case is being presented as an example of coordinated violence against officers that crossed the line from protest to criminal conduct. The charges and guilty pleas send a message that targeting officers during demonstrations will result in federal consequences.
Actions have consequences.
Critics and supporters of law enforcement will likely continue to debate the broader political context that led to the protest and its escalation. Meanwhile, the criminal justice process proceeds with plea agreements and upcoming sentencing hearings that will determine the final penalties for those who admitted to violent conduct.
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