Man Pleads Guilty to Throwing Molotov Cocktails at LA Federal Building

A Koreatown man pleaded guilty Monday to throwing Molotov cocktails at security officers inside a federal building in downtown Los Angeles, an attack he indicated was motivated by anti-illegal immigration enforcement sentiment.

Jose Francisco Jovel, 54, entered a plea to one count of assault on a person assisting federal officers/employees and one count of possession of unregistered or unlawfully manufactured destructive devices.

Sentencing was scheduled for Jan. 28.

An affidavit states that Jovel — who hours earlier had apparently set his Koreatown apartment on fire after receiving an eviction notice — arrived on bicycle on Dec. 1, 2025 at the Federal Building, located at 300 N. Los Angeles St. in downtown’s Civic Center. He allegedly carried multiple shopping bags.

The building houses offices for several federal agencies, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Prosecutors said that while standing at the base of the stairs outside the building’s main entrance, Jovel reached into one of the bags on his bicycle’s handlebars and threw a Molotov cocktail through the building’s sliding door, which was open at the time, and is marked as an employee entrance.

Read more: MyNewsLA