The man detained in Boyle Heights appeared in the first courtroom in Santa Ana on Thursday after he showed a video of his detention being pinned by federal agents in two unmarked cars.
Christian Damien Cerna-Camacho is charged with assaulting a federal officer after prosecutors alleged that Cerna punched an officer during an immigration protest.
Serna was also accused of a blackmailing agent, saying that she had guns and was planning to get those weapons to shoot them.
During the court hearing, Cerna’s family attended the courtroom, saying that his wife had her 5-month-old baby in her arms and that she and her two children were in the car with Cerna at the time of the arrest.
Security camera video from a nearby business shows Serna’s white Mercedes-Benz pulling up to a stop sign at the intersection. As the car was about to turn right, the SUV collided with the passenger side at the rear of the car, while the pickup blocked the car on the driver’s side.
The video shows the car was stopped between two unmarked law enforcement agencies. Federal agents emerged from the SUV and pickups appeared armed and wearing protective vests.
Law enforcement sources told NBC Los Angeles that slow-speed collisions are “vehicle containment” and are tactics used to force other vehicles to stop.
Cerna’s bail was denied.
He is scheduled to have a preliminary hearing in Los Angeles on June 26th.
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