A Los Angeles man charged in connection with last summer's downtown anti-ICE protests tried to shield his identity this week, covering his face as he left a downtown courthouse nearly nine months after prosecutors say he hurled powerful fireworks at officers during a night of unrest.
Prosecutors say William Rubio, 23 at the time, threw fireworks and other pyrotechnics at police and firefighters just before midnight on June 8, 2025. When officers arrested him, they allegedly found about 20 fireworks in his backpack, including 11 M-1000 "quarter sticks," which District Attorney Nathan Hochman has described as "a quarter stick of dynamite" and "lethal devices," according to the Los Angeles Times.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office filed charges in case 25CJCF03418, according to a Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office news release. The filing says Rubio faces up to eight years and eight months in prison if convicted.
What the charges mean
Assault on a peace officer can be prosecuted as a felony when it involves a deadly weapon, and convictions carry multi-year prison terms. California's Penal Code sets out enhanced penalties for assault with a deadly weapon against a peace officer under Penal Code section 245, according to the California Legislature.
Court appearance and next steps
Rubio, now 24, made a short appearance in a downtown courtroom this week and was photographed covering his face with a jacket as he left, images and reporting in the New York Post show. According to that reporting, the judge moved Rubio's next hearing to April 8, and he remains under electronic monitoring and house arrest while the case plays out.
The case is one of roughly 30 prosecutions tied to the June demonstrations, with other defendants accused of throwing Molotov cocktails, damaging patrol vehicles, and looting, according to the Los Angeles Times.
At a news conference announcing the filings, District Attorney Nathan Hochman said prosecutors will distinguish peaceful protesters from those who commit violence, a point emphasized in a statement from the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. Rubio is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
