A 20-year-old Perris man has been arrested after he was videotaped lighting a firework in the middle of a crowd of protesters, only to see a bystander throw the firework back in his car, where it exploded, police said.
An occupant of the car got out right before the detonation.
Gabriel Armando Castillo was arrested Wednesday, June 23, on suspicion of a misdemeanor fireworks violation, Riverside County jail records show. He is being held at Robert Presley Detention Center in lieu of $50,000.
Thousands of people marched through downtown Riverside on June 1 to protest racial injustice and the death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody.
As the protest — peaceful to that point — wound down, rioters began throwing commercial-grade fireworks and other objects at police officers and set them off amid other protesters. They also vandalized and looted several businesses, said Officer Ryan Railsback, a Police Department spokesman.
A video released by the department shows a vehicle stopped at the intersection of University Avenue and Orange Street. The driver gets out, and as he kneels and lights a firework, someone throws a sign at him. Then as the driver then shoves a different person, another person picks up the firework and tosses it in the car.
As smoke emerges from the car, a passenger flees. The firework then explodes in a shower of colorful sparks.
Detectives used the license plate on the car to identify Castillo as the driver, Railsback said. He was arrested in the 26900 block of Placentia Avenue in Perris.
Castillo is on probation for a conviction for felony reckless evading, Superior Court records show.
Police also released a video that shows various acts of vandalism or people suspected of committing those crimes. Included are:
• A person using a hammer to try to break into a Wells Fargo ATM at 3750 University Ave.;
• A large group breaking into and looting the T-Mobile store at 3750 University Ave.;
• A man walking away after he smashed four large glass windows at the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office, causing more than $8,000 in damage;
• People attempting to break into the Provident Bank ATM at 3695 Main St., causing at least $30,000 in damage;
• A person unsuccessfully using a metal pipe to attempt to break the glass doors to the Game Lab, 3633 Market St. Bystanders intervened and stopped the vandalism.
Both videos are posted on the Police Department’s YouTube page.
Police ask anyone with information about the crimes to contact Detective Paul Miranda at 951-353-7119 or pmiranda@riversideca.gov. Anonymous tips can be emailed to rpdtips@rivesideca.gov or by using the department’s mobile app “Submit a Tip” feature.
City News Service contributed to this report.
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