USBP agent claims ‘false narrative pushed’ in arrest of U.S. citizen in L.A. County

A federal law enforcement official insisted on social media that a “false narrative is and was being pushed” in the arrest of a 20-year-old U.S. citizen earlier this week in Pico Rivera.

The incident unfolded in the parking lot of a sprawling retail center housing a Lowes Home Improvement store in the 8600 block of Washington Boulevard.

In footage of the June 17 incident obtained by KTLA, at least a half-dozen federal law enforcement officers are seen in a struggle with a young man, identified by family members as 20-year-old Adrian Andrew Martinez, who works at a nearby Walmart.

Amid the fight, someone can be heard screaming, “He’s a U.S. citizen!”

A day after the incident, United States Attorney Bill Essayli posted video of the incident to his official government X account and said the 20-year-old was arrested on allegations that he punched “a border patrol agent in the face after he attempted to impede their immigration operation.”

In both videos, Martinez is seen in a violent struggle with federal agents as they take him to the ground and eventually detain him, though it’s not clear when the young man is alleged to have struck the agent, whether it was during the altercation or before the video starts rolling on the incident.

“Once again, a false narrative is and was being pushed out on the arrest of a U.S. Citizen in Pico Rivera, CA.,” U.S. Border Patrol Chief Patrol Agent Gregory K. Bovino said in a post to X about an hour and a half after Eassayli’s post. “Don’t take our word for it, check out [U.S. Attorney Eassayli’s] take on it. This subject just caught a federal case for assault on a federal agent. DON’T ASSAULT.”

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Mayra Villarreal, Martinez’s mother, who was not present during the incident, said she believes her son was trying to do the right thing.

“Adrian is a very caring person, and he likes to help people. I know that,” she said. “So, whatever the case was, I know his intentions were good.”

The incident sparked a demonstration attended by hundreds of people outside Pico Rivera City Hall, demanding city officials do more to protect citizens from raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.

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