Chaos has been happening in isolated areas of Los Angeles, where federal forces and the LAPD are clashing with angry protesters and rioters. The Trump administration claims it is maintaining public order against lawlessness. California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, meanwhile, says that the White House is engaged in an authoritarian power grab. As the drama in the city continues, a recent arrest would seem to be yet another opportunity for both sides to bicker with one another about who is right.
A man named Alejandro Theodoro Orellana was arrested by the FBI on Thursday morning and is now expected to face a charge of conspiracy to commit civil disorders. U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, who was appointed by Trump’s Attorney General Pam Bondi in April, announced Orellana’s arrest on social media, writing, “Alejandro Theodoro Orellana was arrested this morning by @FBILosAngeles on an allegation of Conspiracy to Commit Civil Disorders (18 USC 371) for distributing face shields to suspected rioters on Tuesday.” He added: “We are moving quickly to identify and arrest those involved in organizing and/or supporting civil disorder in Los Angeles.”
In case you missed that, it would appear that Orellana has been arrested because he helped distribute gas masks to protesters. Pictures of the supposed masks that have circulated on social media seem to show that they are a “bionic” face shield designed to protect against tear gas.
Orellana’s arrest is now being used by authorities to bolster a claim made by President Trump, which is that the protests in LA are being funded and organized by outside groups. “These are radical left lunatics that you’re dealing with. They’re tough. They’re smart. They’re probably paid many of them. As you know, they’re professionals,” Trump said during a press conference on Wednesday.
Relatedly, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt highlighted Orellana’s arrest on social media on Thursday. “Once again, President Trump was right,” Leavitt wrote on X. “The President rightfully raised the important question of who is organizing and funding these dangerous riots in Los Angeles. This morning, the FBI arrested Alejandro Theodoro Orellana for conspiracy to commit civil disorders after handing out face shields to anti-ICE rioters.”
This whole thing is bizarre for many reasons, but perhaps the most bizarre is that, despite the fact that cars have been set on fire and federal buildings have been attacked, one of the only people whose arrest has been actively platformed by the Trump administration is a guy whose sole alleged crime (as far as we know) is helping to hand out protective face coverings so that people’s eyes don’t get burned by tear gas. Also, handing out gas masks is not a crime, so what are officials even really talking about? It’s not totally clear. It’s easy to feel like they just arrested this guy for nothing.
Many other things about the incident remain unclear. The Daily Mail reports that Orellana was not the person who actually handed out the masks, and was only driving the vehicle that delivered them. Another, so far unidentified woman, is said to have actually handed out the masks.
When reached for comment by Gizmodo, a public information officer for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California did little to clarify the situation. They said, “Mr. Orellana was arrested today. We expect his initial appearance will be scheduled for tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. PDT in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.” The officer added that the office anticipates that Orellana will be charged with conspiracy to commit civil disorders and aiding and abetting civil disorders.
There have been over 350 arrests in recent days, and the LA district attorney is expected to begin bringing cases soon, so Orellana is unlikely to be the last protester to grace the headlines. Still, right-wingers have been having a field day with his arrest and have used the incident to spin a larger conspiratorial narrative. The usual cast of MAGA voices have jumped into the fray to imply that Orellana is associated with some sort of vast conspiracy to “fund” and coordinate the protests in LA.
“This militant and his network are part of the conspiracy to raise cash to buy riot gear,” MAGA influencer Any Ngo posted on Thursday.
“Who is funding and supplying the insurgents in Los Angeles and in other cities? The FBI has arrested the insurgency leader observed handing out $60 ‘bionic shield’ face masks to rioters,” another frequent conspiracy poster with over 600,000 followers wrote.
The Daily Signal, a conservative news site that was originally created by the Heritage Foundation, recently ran a news article entitled: “Who Organized the LA Anti-ICE Protests That Escalated Into Riots?”
It’s incredibly unclear who is doing what in LA, so—hypothetically—it’s not totally out of the realm of possibility that someone is giving supplies to some of the activists. But, last I checked, that’s not a crime—nor is not wanting to get hit in the face with tear gas.
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