A central California mayor has been charged with trying to meet two teenagers for sex, but he claims he is the victim of a homophobic attack.
Viral footage purportedly shows Wasco Mayor Alex Garcia being attacked by a vigilante group after he attempted to meet with a minor, police said. The Sun of the San Joaquin Valley.
The video was posted on a Facebook page called ‘Bakersfield Crime Watch’ and shows at least two men pushing and slapping Garcia while telling him they are going to call the police and to ‘not touch little kids anymore.’
Garcia is heard responding: “I’m sorry. Please no. I will never do that.”
The posters claimed Garcia had been trying to meet up with a boy and a girl, both 15, and wanted to “do horrible things.”
Viral footage purportedly shows Wasco Mayor Alex Garcia being attacked by a vigilante group after he attempted to meet with a minor
But Garcia’s attorney told the Wasco Tribune that the mayor may have been “lured” to the meeting by people seeking to attack him because of his sexual orientation.
The anonymous group accused Garcia of claiming he was carrying poppers, condoms, marijuana and other sex toys.
But Garcia’s lawyer told the Wasco Tribune that the mayor may have been “lured” to the meeting by people seeking to attack him because of his sexual orientation.
Attorney Jared Thompson said: ‘I advised him (Garcia) not to make any statements because there are some investigations that appear to be ongoing.
‘Based on the information we have available at this time, it appears to be a situation where two individuals tricked Alex and lured him to a location in Bakersfield and then attacked him.
“The video circulating shows criminal conduct by the individuals, not Alex. Based on Alex’s sexual orientation, it appears that this could have been some sort of hate crime or homophobic attack. Basically, we expect any criminal investigation to focus on that.”
The Bakersfield Police Department reportedly submitted a request for the original posters from the video but received no response.
The images appear 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” by the video and are cooperating with the Bakersfield Police Department.
The images appear to have been taken in the city of Bakersfield, a 30-minute drive from Waco.
The Bakersfield Police Department reportedly submitted a request for the original posters from the video but received no response.
Garcia recently ran for Kern County supervisor, but came in a distant third.
He was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol in 2021, but the charge was dropped after a report showed his blood alcohol content did not exceed the legal limit.
Garcia was removed from office after the DUI charge, but was reinstated in December.