LOS ANGELES – A Koreatown man pleaded guilty today to assaulting security officers assisting federal law enforcement by throwing two Molotov cocktails inside a federal building in downtown Los Angeles, and to possessing additional unregistered destructive devices.
José Francisco Jovel, 54, pleaded guilty to one count of assault on a person assisting federal officers and employees and one count of possession of unregistered or unlawfully manufactured destructive devices.
Jovel has been in federal custody since December 2025.
According to his plea agreement, on the morning of December 1, 2025, Jovel approached a federal building located in the Civic Center of downtown Los Angeles, carrying multiple bags containing a flame torch, two airsoft guns, five knives, pepper spray, and seven additional Molotov cocktails he had constructed. Each device was made using a glass Nescafe jar, ignitable liquid, and a fabric wick.
While standing outside the employee entrance, Jovel yelled at federal officers and security guards assisting them, stating that if children were not present, he would “kill them.” After waiting for an employee to exit the doorway, Jovel reached into a bag and threw a Molotov cocktail at one of the security guards. The device shattered, spreading glass and ignitable liquid toward law enforcement officers and members of the public.
Jovel then threw a second Molotov cocktail through the public entrance of the building, where individuals were waiting to go through security. That device rolled across the floor inside the building.
Jovel admitted that he intentionally threw the devices at federal officers and those assisting them, intending and attempting to inflict injury, and that his actions caused reasonable apprehension of immediate bodily harm. He also admitted that the Molotov cocktails were destructive devices that were not registered with the National Firearm Registration and Transfer Record.
United States District Judge Otis D. Wright II scheduled a sentencing hearing for January 28, 2027 at 8:00 a.m. at which time, Jovel will face a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison.
The FBI is investigating this matter with assistance from the Federal Protective Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations, the Los Angeles Police Department, and the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Assistant United States Attorney Lana Morton Owens and Jenna W. Long of the National Security Division are prosecuting this case.