A Cal State Channel Islands professor said he is feeling a sense of “righteous indignation” after a federal jury acquitted him Thursday of charges that he hurled a tear gas canister at Border Patrol agents last summer during a protest against a sweeping immigration raid at a Southern California cannabis farm.
A federal jury in downtown Los Angeles found Jonathan Caravello, 38, a U.S. citizen and lecturer in CSUCI’s math and philosophy department, not guilty of one count of assault on a federal officer with a deadly or dangerous weapon, a charge that carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, according to prosecutors.
Caravello said he declined a plea deal early in the process.
“I knew I didn’t assault anyone and wasn’t going to take a plea,” he said. He added that his position as a professor, white male, and access to a strong legal defense team made him feel it was his responsibility to fight the charges.
“I thought it was my responsibility to take this to trial no matter how long it would take or the consequences,” he said. “If I had ended up in prison, I wouldn’t have regretted taking this to trial.”
Caravello’s attorney, Knut Johnson of Singleton Schreiber, said his client had acted to protect those around him, not harm federal agents. “John cleared a tear gas canister away from everyone,” Johnson said, pushing back on the government’s account and adding that tear gas had been deployed indiscriminately by law enforcement.
He said the prosecution never should have made it to trial.
“A law firm as powerful as the United States Department of Justice should never use their might to prosecute cases like this,” Johnson said. “Going through nine months of accusations to a trial is incredibly stressful and will take years off your life, and John shouldn’t have gone through that.”
The California Faculty Association, the union representing Cal State faculty, celebrated the verdict in a statement posted to social media, saying Caravello had been cleared of any wrongdoing and that the decision affirmed his right to protest.
“The beatings, the surveillance, and the trauma that John and others across the state and nation have had to endure cannot be ignored,” the union wrote.
Cal State Channel Islands said Caravello’s employment status has not changed and that he remained employed throughout the proceedings, according to the university.
“The University is aware of the jury’s decision in the case involving Dr. Jonathan Caravello, and we respect the outcome of the legal process,” the university said in a statement. “We recognize this has been a complex and, at times, difficult situation for members of our campus community.”
Caravello was swept up in a sprawling federal prosecution stemming from a July 10 protest at Glass House Farms’ grow site in Camarillo, where federal agents with Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Border Patrol executed a high-risk search warrant at a marijuana farm on a 160-acre property, according to prosecutors.
The protest erupted after federal agents conducted simultaneous immigration raids at the company’s Camarillo and Carpinteria locations, arresting more than 300 workers without documentation.
Prosecutors alleged that as agents deployed tear gas to disperse the crowd, Caravello ran toward a canister, attempted to kick it, and after it rolled past him, picked it up and threw it overhand back at Border Patrol officers, according to court documents. Prosecutors also said he left the scene, changed his shirt and shoes, and returned two hours later, at which point agents recognized him and moved to detain him.
Caravello allegedly resisted arrest by continuously kicking his legs and refusing to give agents his arms, according to prosecutors.
Caravello stood by his actions that day but advised others to be deliberate.
“I was acquitted for clearing away a tear gas canister, throwing it well over the heads of agents, and I believe that this is something we should be able to do at protests,” Caravello said. “I don’t want people to do these things indiscriminately without tact, and the more the state realizes that people aren’t going to back down, the less likely they are to oppress us.”
The case took several turns before reaching trial. Prosecutors initially charged Caravello with a felony, then downgraded the charge to a misdemeanor. In August, he pleaded not guilty and told the Ventura County Star that everything he does at protests is “to protect people.” A federal grand jury later reinstated the felony charge.
The California Faculty Association said the verdict, while welcome, could not undo the harm Caravello endured, adding that its members would continue working to protect immigrant communities.
“We outnumber them, we have more love than them, and I have no doubt in my mind that people are willing and able to keep each other safe,” Caravello said.
