Man Admits To Throwing Molotov Cocktails At LA Federal Building

LOS ANGELES, CA — A Los Angeles man pleaded guilty Monday to charges claiming he threw Molotov cocktails at people inside the downtown Los Angeles Federal building hours after setting his own apartment on fire, according to prosecutors.

Jose Francisco Jovel, 54, of Koreatown, entered a plea to one count of assault on a person assisting federal officers/employees and one count of possession of unregistered or unlawfully manufactured destructive devices.

His plea comes after he previously pleaded not guilty to five felony charges in connection to the incident.

Jovel is accused of arriving on the morning of Dec. 1 at the Federal Building, hours after he "had set his Koreatown apartment on fire after receiving an eviction notice," federal prosecutors said in a statement.

While outside the main entrance of the building — which houses U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, among other agencies — prosectors claim Jovel reached into one of the shopping bags on his bicycle’s handlebars, grabbed a Molotov cocktail from it, and threw the device through the building's sliding door. That door is marked as an employee entrance.

"Jovel then threw another Molotov cocktail through the then-open door of the Federal Building’s public entrance, where a line of members of the public were waiting to go through security to enter the building," reads a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Federal officers quickly arrested Jovel at the scene. Prosecutors claim the shopping bags Jovel had contained a lighter and five additional Molotov cocktails.

"Evidence collected from the scene, including surveillance video, indicates Jovel attempted to light at least one of the devices," prosecutors said.

"During his arrest, Jovel said he was motivated by his anger at the federal government of its immigration policies and actions," the statement reads. "Jovel described his actions as 'a terrorist attack' and said to the officers, 'you’re separating families' – a remark commonly made by opponents of current United States government immigration policies. He then yelled for people to 'start shooting these,' referring to the officers."

Jovel is due back in court Jan. 28 for sentencing.

City News Service contributed to this report.