Demonstrator in 2021 Pacific Beach riot changes plea ahead of trial

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — One of the remaining defendants connected to a 2021 clash in Pacific Beach between supporters of former President Donald Trump and an anti-fascist group pleaded guilty to changes in court Monday morning.

Luis Francisco Mora, a 32-year-old Los Angeles resident, entered the new plea to two charges — assault and conspiracy to riot — about a week before the beginning of trial after reaching a deal with prosecutors. He previously pleaded not guilty.

Under the deal, Mora accepted a 32-month sentence for his role in the melee at a counter-protest to the so-called “Patriot March” in Pacific Beach on Jan. 9, 2021, where he tear-gassed a woman. He would have faced a nine-year stint behind bars and a $10,000 fine if convicted by a jury.

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The plea deal comes about two years after a grand jury brought charges against Mora and 10 other claimed members of the anti-fascist group, “Antifa,” who were believed to have been involved in the altercation.

Since then, nine defendants, including Mora, have pleaded guilty to reduced charges and jail time.

With Mora’s new plea, two defendants are left in the criminal case: 41-year-old Jeremy White and 27-year-old Brian Cortez Lightfoot Jr. Both similarly traveled from Los Angeles County to counter-protest the demonstration in Pacific Beach.

During a pre-trial hearing on Monday, White’s attorney, Curtis Briggs, unsuccessfully attempted to get a mental health diversion from the court to drop the charges against his client. He also asked the judge to dismiss the charges under a First Amendment argument.

White entered a new plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. According to Briggs, his client was found by a psychologist he hired to have “disassociated” during the counter-protest due to post-traumatic stress disorder and does not remember crucial parts of incident.

Deputy District Attorney Makenzie Harvey called the move “untimely” and “without foundation.” The state court judge presiding over the trial, Daniel Goldstein, appeared to be reluctant to grant the request, but ultimately allowed White to move forward using insanity for his defense.

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“Whether I think it’s baloney or not, there are legal ramifications to the plea and steps we have to walk through,” Goldstein said.

Lightfoot, on the other hand, told the court on Monday that his client was considering a plea deal with prosecutors. However, the Times of San Diego reported Lightfoot’s attorney, John Hamasaki, said “The prosecution says Brian will not get an offer. So we are here for the full trial.”

The trial is expected to begin in the coming days and is anticipated to last five weeks with jury deliberations in late April. According to Goldstein, the insanity plea may also require a separate trial proceeding to decide whether White was “insane” under California law during the incident.

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