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CSU lecturer acquitted of charges he assaulted federal agents with tear gas
Jonathan Caravello and their attorney, Knut Johnson, at a press conference following the arraignment. Behind them, CFA members rally in support.
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Julia Barajas
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LAist
)
A Cal State University lecturer charged with assaulting federal officers with tear gas was acquitted on Thursday.
Jonathan Caravello, a philosophy lecturer at Cal State Channel Islands, was arrested while protesting a raid at a licensed cannabis farm in Ventura County last summer.
For three days, Caravello’s colleagues, friends, family and students packed the courtroom at the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
The jury returned a verdict within about two hours, according to Caravello’s attorney, Knut Johnson.
“He was never trying to hurt anyone and didn't hurt anyone,” Johnson told LAist Thursday after the verdict was rendered. “He knows that trying to hurt people or hurting them does nothing to help the cause he supports.”
What was the case about?
The federal government said agents were executing a search warrant at the farm, in search of evidence of unlawful employment. In his opening statement Wednesday, assistant U.S. attorney Roger Hsieh said agents deployed the tear gas because protesters obstructed traffic on a two-lane road. Hsieh said Caravello picked up the canister agents deployed and threw it back at them.
Caravello's legal team, led by Johnson, underscored that the lecturer did not hurt anyone and shared a video showing federal vehicles making their way across the road. The defense also said Caravaello picked up and threw the canister as far as he could—past the agents—to keep protesters safe from harm.
Sponsored message
The California Faculty Association, which represents CSU faculty, said in a statement Thursday that they welcomed the jury's decision.
"After a thorough investigation by the court, John was cleared of any wrongdoing," the statement said. "The jury’s decision underscores John’s right to peacefully protest and speak out against the cruelty and inhumanity this administration has shown toward immigrants and other marginalized communities across the country."
Senior editor for education Ross Brenneman contributed to this story.
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