Radical college lecturer charged after allegedly throwing projectile at Border Patrol in California pot farm clash

A federal grand jury has indicted a far-left university instructor for his alleged actions during a federal raid of California pot farms over the summer.

On July 10, Jonathan Caravello, 37, was among a group of Cal State University Channel Islands faculty and students who protested federal agents carrying out search warrants at a state-licensed marijuana facility operated by Glass House Farms in Camarillo.

He ‘turned around, ran towards the canister, picked it up, and threw it overhand back at Border Patrol agents.’

The crowd of unruly protesters soon turned violent, throwing rocks at government vehicles that attempted to leave the facility, breaking windows and side-view mirrors, the DOJ claimed in a press release.

According to the criminal complaint obtained by Blaze News, Caravello engaged in several behaviors that impeded federal agents from doing their job. For one thing, the complaint said, he marched along the yellow police tape “loudly playing a siren sound on the megaphone” that he directed toward Border Patrol agents.

RELATED: Pot farm raid update: Trump’s DHS found convicted rapists and kidnappers working near migrant kids

Photo by BLAKE FAGAN/AFP via Getty Images

After agents began releasing tear gas “to assist with crowd control, ensure officer safety, and to allow law enforcement to depart the location,” a gas canister rolled near the feet of some protesters, including Caravello, the DOJ press release said. Caravello first attempted to kick the can, but it “rolled past him,” so he “turned around, ran towards the canister, picked it up, and threw it overhand back at Border Patrol agents,” it claimed.

The canister thrown by Caravello “came within approximately several feet above law enforcements’ heads,” the criminal complaint added. Other statements in the criminal complaint indicate that Caravello may have thrown multiple “canisters” at agents.

Caravello then left the scene, only to return a couple of hours later, having changed from a blue shirt into a pink shirt and wearing a different pair of shoes, perhaps in a failed attempt to “disguise” himself, the criminal complaint said. He was subsequently identified as the “agitator” who threw the canisters and arrested despite his apparent resistance.

“CARAVELLO would not comply and attempted to grab a BP Agent’s leg,” the criminal complaint said. He also “continuously kicked his legs and refused to give the BP agents his arms.”

‘We do not need to prove injury to prove assault with a deadly or dangerous weapon.’

The day after his arrest, the California Faculty Association claimed on Instagram that ICE agents had “kidnapped” Caravello by throwing him into an “unmarked vehicle” without explanation. The Instagram post also included a video of the protest, as well as a clip of Caravello’s appearance at a Camarillo City Council meeting the night before.

“Many of my students are undocumented,” Caravello said during the public comment period of the meeting, “and many of their families are undocumented. It’s my responsibility to protect them, and so I’ve been patrolling the city streets, following armed, masked thugs trying to kidnap my neighbors.”

During his public remarks, which he delivered almost exclusively in a dull monotone, Caravello denounced the “genocide” in Palestine, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and alleged instances of police misconduct in the U.S. dating back to the 1960s, as well as current ICE efforts at immigration enforcement.

The only moment in which Caravello’s voice became slightly animated was when he seemingly addressed members of the council but without lifting his gaze from his prepared statement to look at them. “You, our elected officials, should swear [ICE] off, if not in policy then in spirit, to at the very least pay back your undocumented community members for picking your f**king strawberries,” he said with emphasis, prompting a faint spattering of claps from the audience.

“No one is illegal. Power to the people,” he concluded, returning to his previous monotone delivery.

RELATED: ‘We got him’: Suspect who violently threw rocks at officers during LA ICE riots arrested after fleeing to Mexico, feds say

Screenshot of criminal complaint

Caravello is listed as a philosophy lecturer with the Mathematics Program at CSUCI. The university confirmed to Blaze News that he remains employed there and will be teaching this semester. The university also claimed that it will not be assisting with his defense.

“We are aware of the recent indictment involving Jonathan Caravello. As this matter is currently before the courts, we will not be commenting on the details of the case. We respect the legal process and believe it is important to allow it to proceed without speculation. Our focus remains on our ongoing work and commitments to our students,” CSUCI said in a statement to Blaze News.

Caravello has been charged with one count of assault on a federal officer using a deadly or dangerous weapon. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. He is currently free on $15,000 bond.

Neither Caravello nor the California Faculty Association responded to a request for comment from Blaze News.

Public affairs officer Ciaran McEvoy of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California did not directly respond to Blaze News’ question about whether any agents were injured on account of Caravello’s alleged actions, but did state, “We do not need to prove injury to prove assault with a deadly or dangerous weapon.”

After clarifying that agents were not executing an “immigration raid” on the day in question but “judicially approved search warrants in connection with an ongoing investigation,” McEvoy added, “We have no further comment.”

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!