Jury acquits LA man who towed immigration agent's car during TikTok influencer's arrest
Story by Brittny Mejia, Clara Harter, LA Times, December 20, 2025
A federal jury has acquitted a South L.A. man who was charged with stealing government property by towing an immigration agent's vehicle during the arrest of a TikTok influencer in Downtown Los Angeles earlier this year.
Bobby Nunez was arrested Sept. 2 after he was accused of interfering with the detainment of Tatiana Mafla-Martinez while she live-streamed her Aug. 15 arrest. Video of the incident showed an SUV being towed away from the parking garage of the Da Vinci Apartments, where Martinez is being pinned to the ground by agents.
The SUV was one of two vehicles being used to box in Martinez's car and prevent her from escaping the luxury apartment complex, according to an affidavit filed with the complaint. Nunez was 33 at the time of the incident, and Martinez was 23.
After a four-day trial and more than three hours of deliberation, the jury found Nunez not guilty of one count of theft of government property Friday, according to the U.S. attorney's office, which declined to comment on the verdict. He had faced up to 10 years in prison, if convicted.
Nunez's attorneys, Deputy Federal Public Defenders Rebecca Harris and David Menninger, said they were pleased the jury exonerated their client.
“We thank the jurors for their service as an essential backstop against prosecutorial overreach in our constitutional system,” they said in a statement to The Times.
During the trial, the defense attorneys argued that the law enforcement vehicle was blocking the driveway to the complex and their client had moved it around the corner — just one block away. They said that the car was returned within 13 minutes.
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A Times investigation in July found that the aggressive pursuit of federal charges against people protesting immigration enforcement in Southern California has led to weak cases being rejected numerous times by grand juries.
Jury acquits LA man who towed immigration agent's car during TikTok influencer's arrest
Stephen Miller Melts Down as ‘Leftist’ Jury Acquits Man in ICE Truck Towing Case
The tow made it so the public could see what the ICE were doing to a social media critic who documented what the immigration police were doing and rallied public support against the tactics. Jury nullification indicates that the jury believed that the towing didn't block ICE from conducting the arrest and the charges were unnecessary. ICE vehicles can be towed for illegal parking but require police to authorize their removal. |
