A Los Angeles tow truck driver accused of stealing a federal vehicle during a dramatic immigration raid has been found not guilty of all charges.
Bobby Nuñez, 33, was acquitted Friday by a federal jury after being charged with theft of government property. He faced up to 10 years in prison for allegedly towing away an SUV belonging to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during a high-profile August arrest of influencer Tatiana Martinez in downtown L.A.
The incident, which was captured on video and shared widely on social media, showed Martinez livestreaming the ICE raid to her 47,000 TikTok followers. As federal agents arrested her, a tow truck appeared and hooked up one of their SUVs—reportedly still containing a firearm in a locked safe—and drove off. Federal prosecutors said Nuñez intentionally interfered with official operations.
Acting U.S. Attorney Bilal “Bill” Essayli slammed Nuñez at the time, posting the video on X with a caption that read, “Apparently he thought it would be funny to interfere with our immigration enforcement operations. Now he can laugh behind bars while he faces justice.”
But the jury wasn’t convinced. After a four-day trial and over three hours of deliberation, they found Nuñez not guilty, dealing a blow to the prosecution’s narrative.
According to the DOJ, federal agents used two government vehicles to block Martinez from fleeing. The vehicles had emergency lights activated. Nuñez was accused of physically interfering with officers and ignoring commands before towing away one of the SUVs.
Supporters of both Nuñez and Martinez argued the federal charges were politically motivated, aimed at intimidating those who document or disrupt immigration enforcement activities. Nuñez’s legal team maintained that he was unaware the SUV belonged to federal agents and was simply responding to a request.
With the verdict in, Nuñez walks free—and some online are hailing him as a symbol of resistance.
