Los Angeles man pleads guilty to Molotov cocktail attack at federal building
A Los Angeles man has pleaded guilty to assaulting security officers by throwing two Molotov cocktails at a federal building, according to prosecutors. He faces up to 30 years in federal prison.
Josr Francisco Jovel, 54, of Koreatown, pleaded guilty Monday to assaulting a person assisting federal officers and employees and possessing unregistered or unlawfully manufactured destructive devices, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. He has been in federal custody since December 2025.
The attack happened on the morning of December 1, 2025, at a federal building in downtown Los Angeles’ Civic Center. According to his plea agreement, he stood outside the employee entrance and yelled at federal officers and security guards that he would “kill them” if children were not present.
After waiting for an employee to leave through the doorway, he pulled a Molotov cocktail from a bag and threw it at a security guard. The glass shattered, scattering fragments and ignitable liquid toward officers and members of the public.
He then threw a second Molotov cocktail through the public entrance, where people were waiting to pass through security. The device rolled across the floor inside the building.
He also carried seven additional Molotov cocktails, a flame torch, two airsoft guns, five knives and pepper spray, according to the plea agreement. The homemade devices consisted of glass Nescafe jars containing ignitable liquid and fabric wicks.
In his plea agreement, he admitted intentionally throwing the devices at federal officers and those assisting them with the intent to injure them. He also admitted the devices were not registered with the National Firearm Registration and Transfer Record.
Sentencing is scheduled for January 28, 2027. Jose Jovel faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison.
The FBI is investigating with assistance from the Federal Protective Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles Fire Department.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
