A blowtorch-wielding man subdued by Los Angeles residents in a viral online video is living in the United States unlawfully despite multiple arrests and an assault conviction, federal immigration authorities confirmed.
Juan Manuel Sierra, a 33-year-old Mexican national, is an illegal migrant “gotaway” who carries an extensive rap sheet with local law enforcement, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spokesperson stated to the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Sierra is currently being held by Los Angeles police on suspicion of contributing to the wildfires that have devastated Southern California in the past several days.
“Juan Manuel Sierra, 33, aka Juan Manuel Sierra-Leyva, Juan Leva, Leyva Moniker, and Juan Sierra, is a Mexican national who entered the U.S. unlawfully at an unknown date and location without inspection by an immigration official,” the ICE spokesperson said.
“Sierra has multiple encounters with law enforcement from November 2016 to present for a variety of charges and was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon Oct. 10, 2023, in Van Nuys, California.”
“Sierra was arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department Jan. 10 on a felony probation violation,” the spokesperson continued. “Officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations placed an immigration