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Jury Acquits CSU Channel Islands Lecturer in Federal Tear-Gas Assault Case

The not-guilty verdict signals growing hurdles for prosecutors seeking convictions in protest-related assault trials.

Overview

  • A Los Angeles federal jury cleared Jonathan Caravello on Thursday after roughly two hours of deliberation.
  • The charge stemmed from a July 2025 immigration raid at Glass House Farms in Camarillo where agents used tear gas to move protesters.
  • Prosecutors said he threw a canister at agents, while the defense said he lofted it over them to protect nearby protesters and it hit no one.
  • Jurors viewed body-camera video that recorded Caravello’s taunts through a megaphone and heard conflicting testimony about whether the canister was soda-can sized or a smaller pocket type.
  • Caravello remains employed at CSU Channel Islands, supporters and the faculty union celebrated the outcome, and other cases from the same raid are still pending.