LA protester charged with assaulting officer says he was the one attacked: ‘I thought I was going to die’

A father facing eight years in prison comes forward to the Guardian as lawyers and advocates say US prosecutors are criminalizing free speech and targeting people injured by officers

A Los Angeles protester charged with assaulting a federal officer at a recent demonstration against immigration raids says he himself was brutally attacked by law enforcement and is strongly rejecting prosecutors' allegations.

Jose Manuel Mojica, a 30-year-old born in LA, spoke to the Guardian on Wednesday at his apartment, two days after he was released from jail and charged with a federal crime carrying up to eight years in prison.