A well-known Southern California activist, along with seven others, have been accused of manipulating social media videos for profit following an arrest related to an alleged assault during a protest.
Edin Alex Enamorado, 36, an Upland resident, was arrested on Thursday by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. He is believed to be the leader of the protesting group, deputies said.
Enamorado is known for posting videos on social media allegedly showing street vendors being attacked but law enforcement claims some of the videos are manipulated to seek attention and profit.
“This group manipulates videos and photos on social media in an attempt to make them look like they are protectors of underrepresented people,” SBSD Sheriff Shannon Dicus said at a Thursday press conference. “However, they use racism to threaten and intimidate their victims causing them to get on their knees and beg for forgiveness while still assaulting them.”
The group of protesters who were arrested would sometimes hold demonstrations outside of private residences where authorities said, in some cases, those demonstrations turned violent.
“What this group does is not protected by the First Amendment,” Discus said. “This group is not about substance for the human condition, but rather clickbait for cash. It’s illegal to assault someone who doesn’t agree with you.”
To Enamorado’s social media followers, he appears to be a champion for the underrepresented, but to others, his actions were allegedly fueled by the desire to grow his online following.
“Here we have the police trying to antagonize us and the rest of us for exercising our First Amendment right,” Enamorado is heard saying in a video of a previous demonstration.
In another video, Enamorado and others were seen protesting outside the Fontana mayor’s home over the city’s efforts to crack down on illegal street vendors.
On Dec. 10, Enamorado and others gathered outside of a woman’s Apple Valley home. That woman was allegedly seen making anti-Mexican remarks in a Disneyland bathroom in a now-viral video.
In both instances, Enamorado, and the group of protesters he reportedly leads, were arrested
Following a 10-week investigation, Enamorado and seven others were arrested for “violent acts during protests in San Bernardino and Los Angeles Counties,” deputies said.
The suspects were identified as:
-Edin Alex Enamorado, 36, of Upland
-Wendy Lujan, 40, of Upland
-David Chavez, 28, of Riverside
-Stephanie Amesquita, 33, San Bernardino
-Gullit Eder Acevedo, 30, San Bernardino
-Edwin Pena 26, Los Angeles
-Fernando Lopez, 44, of Los Angeles
-Vanessa Carrasco, 40, of Ontario
Group members were arrested at various locations across San Bernardino, Upland, Ontario, Riverside and Los Angeles.
All suspects face multiple charges including assault with a deadly weapon, false imprisonment, conspiracy, being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and more. They are being held without bail.
“Videos of the truth were manipulated and put out to the public to make it look like an underserved population was being represented, kind of Robin Hood-ish, where in fact, there was felonious activity behind this,” Discus said. “They have a large following so the more clicks they get, the more money they make…just like any internet influencer does.”
An attorney representing Enamorado sent KTLA a statement that reads:
“The arrests of these activists, including Edin Alex Enamorado, were clearly done in retaliation for such activists exercising their First Amendment rights. The San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department’s press conference regarding the arrest was absurd and resemblant of conduct in a third-world country. Criticizing elected officials and law enforcement officers should never be criminalized and that is what the sheriff’s department has done in this case. I will be in court Monday to fight these baseless charges vigorously.”
Christian Contreras, attorney representing Enamorado
Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to contact the Victorville Police Department at 760-241-2911. Anonymous tips can be submitted to We-Tip at 1-800-782-7463 or online at wetip.com.