A central California mayor is accused of trying to meet two teenagers for sex, but he claims he was the victim of a homophobic attack.
Viral footage reportedly shows Wasco Mayor Alex Garcia being attacked by a group of vigilantes after he tried to meet a minor, reports The San Joaquin Valley Sun.
The video, posted by the Facebook page Bakersfield Crime Watch, shows at least two men pushing and hitting Garcia while telling him they were calling the police and that he “can’t touch little boys anymore.”
Garcia replies, “I’m sorry. Please don’t. I will never do that.”
The posters said that Garcia was on a date with a boy and a girl, both 15 years old, and that he wanted to do “terrible things.”
Viral footage reportedly shows Wasco Mayor Alex Garcia being attacked by a group of vigilantes after he tried to meet a minor
But Garcia’s attorney told the Wasco Tribune that the mayor may have been “lured” to the rally by people who wanted to attack him because of his sexual orientation.
The anonymous group accused Garcia of claiming he had “poppers,” condoms, marijuana and other sex toys.
But Garcia’s attorney told the Wasco tribune that the mayor may have been ‘lured’ to the meeting by people who wanted to attack him because of his sexual orientation.
Attorney Jared Thompson said, “I advised [Garcia] No statements can be made, as a number of investigations appear to be ongoing.
‘Based on the information we have now, it appears that two individuals deceived Alex and lured him to a location in Bakersfield where they then assaulted him.
“The video that is circulating shows criminal behavior by the individuals, not Alex. Based on Alex’s sexual orientation, it appears that this could be some type of hate crime or homophobic attack. Essentially, that’s what we would hope any criminal investigation would focus on.”
Bakersfield police have reportedly reached out to the original posters of the video, but have not yet received a response
The footage appears to have been taken in the city of Bakersfield, a 30-minute drive from Waco
Garcia has deleted his social media account and is not responding to media requests.
Wasco officials said they are “very concerned” about the video and are cooperating with Bakersfield police.
The footage appears to have been shot in the city of Bakersfield, a 30-minute drive from Waco.
Bakersfield police reportedly put out a request to the original posters of the video, but have not heard back.
Garcia recently ran for Kern County Supervisor, but finished a distant third.
He was arrested for driving under the influence in 2021, but the charges were dropped after a report found his blood alcohol content was not above the legal limit.
Garcia was removed from office after the DUI charge, but was reinstated in December.