LOS ANGELES, California – Carlos Hernandez, also known as Rider, 34, pleaded guilty to five felonies that carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison.
The lead defendant in a federal hate crimes indictment admitted he organized a group of street gang members who firebombed African-American residences inside the Ramona Gardens Housing Development in Boyle Heights on Mother’s Day, May 11, 2014.
Hernandez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate civil rights, violent crime in aid of racketeering, using fire and carrying explosives to commit another federal felony, using and possessing a firearm in a crime of violence, and violating the Fair Housing Act.
According to his plea agreement, Hernandez admitted that he organized the participants, gave each specific roles in the attacks and provided them with items to be used, including masks to conceal their identity and a hammer to break windows.
On the night of the firebombing, eight members of the Big Hazard street gang smashed the windows of four apartments in Ramona Gardens and threw lit Molotov cocktails into the residences, targeting three occupied African-American families, including women and children.
“Hernandez told the other codefendants who were present that the African-American victims were being targeted for firebombing because of their race,” according to his plea agreement, in which Hernandez admitted that he “and the codefendants knew that throwing firebombs into occupied residences after midnight created a substantial likelihood of causing serious bodily injury” to the African-American families.
Hernandez is scheduled to be sentenced on October 7, at which time he will face a statutory maximum penalty of life in prison.
Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Violent Crime|Hate Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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