Activist Edin Enamorado is arrested on assault charges. Authorities say his advocacy is fake
Edin Alex Enamorado, known as a street vendor advocate, was arrested along with seven others Thursday by San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies, who attributed the arrests to a months-long assault investigation.
Authorities say the initial assault took place during a protest in Victorville on Sept. 24. The investigation into the alleged assault grew to involve police from other cities in the Inland Empire, including Upland, Fontana and Pomona, who contended that the individuals under investigation were involved in other "violent acts during protests" in those cities.
The investigation culminated with the execution of multiple search warrants Thursday morning and the arrest of eight people, including Enamorado.
Enamorado, 36, of Upland, is an activist in Southern California with hundreds of thousands of online followers. He's known for posting videos on social media of alleged attacks on marginalized groups, including harassment of street vendors. One of the videos he posted earlier this year of a white woman confronting a Latino man spurred protests in Santa Barbara. The woman was later charged after a second video surfaced of her arguing with a taco vendor.
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Enamorado was being held with no bail and was booked on suspicion of multiple felony charges, according to online jail records. Among the charges were conspiracy to commit a crime and assault with a deadly weapon. Enamorado is due to be arraigned on the charges at 8:30 a.m. Monday at the Victorville District courthouse.
The other seven arrested were Wendy Lujan, 40, of Upland; David Chavez, 28, of Riverside; Stephanie Amesquita, 33, of San Bernardino; Gullit Eder Acevedo, 30, of San Bernardino; Edwin Pena, 26, of Los Angeles; Fernando Lopez, 44, of Los Angeles; and Vanessa Carrasco, 40, of Ontario. All seven face similar charges to Enamorado's and were also being held without bail until their arraignment Monday.
San Bernardino Sheriff Shannon Dicus addressed the arrests during a news conference Thursday afternoon, saying the suspects had manipulated online videos to make themselves look like crusaders against racist people. In reality, he claimed, they had harassed the subjects of their videos. Their alleged motive was to gain attention, views and financial profit.
"This group is not about substance for the human condition," Dicus said, "but rather clickbait for cash."
Dicus said the group threatened and intimidated the subjects of their videos through accusations of racism, "causing them to get on their knees to beg for forgiveness while still assaulting them."
Christian Contreras, an attorney representing all of those in custody, said in a statement to The Times that the arrests were retaliation for the group's work as activists exercising their 1st Amendment rights.
"Criticizing elected officials and law enforcement officers should never be criminalized, and that is what the Sheriff's Department has done in this case," Contreras said. "I will be in court Monday to fight these baseless charges vigorously."
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
