The driver of a car that blocked federal immigration officers while they were performing their duties last year in South Los Angeles was sentenced Monday to a year behind bars, while his passenger received probation.
Gustavo Torres, 29, the driver, and Kiara Jaime-Flores, 34, each pleaded guilty in December to a federal misdemeanor count of obstruction, resistance or interference with a federal officer.
The charges stem from an incident early on Feb. 28, 2025, when Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Border Patrol agents executed search warrants at separate homes in Los Angeles, one of them in South Los Angeles. A small crowd began to gather outside the residence and some bystanders directed hostile remarks at the agents, who later got in their government vehicles and left the area, papers filed in L.A. federal court show.
At the intersection of 61st Street and Broadway, Torres — driving a Honda Fit — and Jaime-Flores pulled in front of one of the government vehicles and blocked its pathway at the intersection. The defendants also drove westbound on 61st Street in an opposing lane, passing another two government vehicles, prosecutors said.
Officials said the defendants then pulled in front of one of the vehicles and slammed on the brakes, which the agents believed was an attempt to cause a collision.
Torres and Jaime-Flores aggressively followed one of the government vehicles for two miles, attempting to cross multiple lanes of traffic, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“These defendants are charged with knowingly and recklessly putting federal agents’ lives in danger,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said in a statement when the defendants were arrested in May 2025. “Anyone who deliberately gets in the way of immigration officers doing their job will face criminal prosecution and the prospect of doing time in a federal prison cell.”