A Southern California man who shot paintballs at officers during anti-immigration enforcement protests in downtown Los Angeles last summer pleaded guilty Monday to a federal charge.
Edwin Osvaldo Manriquez pulled the trigger on a paintball gun and dispersed multiple rounds on the afternoon of June 9, 2025, near the Federal Building.
An officer with the Federal Protective Service — which protects federal buildings — was hit in the head, ear, neck and elsewhere, according to papers filed in Los Angeles federal court.
Manriquez, whose age and hometown were not immediately available, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Anne Hwang to a charge of “assault on a federal officer by deadly or dangerous weapon.” The charge carries a possible federal prison sentence of up to 20 years.
A sentencing date was not immediately set.
Prosecutors say the defendant pulled the trigger while in the passenger seat of a white 2005 Infiniti G35 coupe. After firing the paintball gun, Manriquez “threw a hand sign with his left hand while still holding the paintball gun in his right hand,” the affidavit in the case states.
The shooter and the driver were wearing face coverings. Investigators identified Manriquez and the driver after the vehicle’s license plate number was caught on video, according to court documents.
The affidavit states that FBI agents searched the driver’s home and “found the paintball gun used in the assault” in his garage, and paintballs in both the car and the garage.