Jose “Chille” DeCastro received three non-life-threatening injuries on Sunday as he attended the anti-ICE protests in downtown Los Angeles and received blows to his chest and head during the event.
DeCastro attended the event with a Hispanic gentleman that he described as the new “DLZClips,” but the pair separated early during the protest as DeCastro focused on standing near the front of the line between police and protestors.
While he was largely ignored by police, fans of his channel found him and posed for photos with him and were given copies of his 5A Cop Cards with most encounters. He explained to those in the crowd that he was a well-known civil rights activist and journalist, significantly expounding on his role as a public figure as events unfolded.
DeCastro’s first injury came when he approached an officer near the front of the lines and complained to viewers that the police had attacked a man in front of him. The officer yelled to DeCastro to move back and before DeCastro could react, he was poked in the chest with a police baton by the officer.
The YouTuber seemed more puzzled than injured by the grazing blow and quickly moved away from the area. DeCastro would complain more about the smell of tear gas in the air than the injury and eventually received a cloth mask to wear from another protestor before discarding it because he “could not breathe” while wearing a mask.
DeCastro continued to interact with his audience, at times, blocking their view of the scene with his stubby fingers until he received a set goal of “likes” from his YouTube viewers. Apparently oblivious to the historical events playing out around him, he would continue this pattern of forcing his viewers to give him “likes” during both of his streams Sunday night.
At one point, DeCastro was largely ignored as he was trying to direct the crowd to avoid being “kettled” by police. According to DeCastro, who claimed to have experience from attending “many” riots, kettling is a police tactic where they block off three sides of a crowd and funnel people into an attack or awaiting arresting officers on the fourth side.
Despite DeCastro’s warnings, which he would repeat throughout both videos as he recognized “kettling,” few would heed his warning, and he would immediately ignore his own advice and go back into the area he warned others to avoid.
DeCastro’s second injury came soon after this, as he was struck on the left side of the head by a thrown water bottle. The YouTuber seemed stunned by the injury, then later said he was glad the bottle did not shatter as being splashed with water would result in a possible ear infection.
All was not bad for DeCastro during the riot, however. At one point he decided to take a leisurely stroll to a shaded off area away from the front lines. He marveled at street vendors, who were selling hot dogs to riot attendees and eventually was approached by two statuesque blondes who asked him if he was a cop or a federal agent.
The blondes said that he stood out from the crowd because he was so “clean cut” and muscled. Assuring the women that he was a nationally known civil rights activist and well-known YouTuber and not a member of the FBI or police, he offered them each $50.00 to come to his studio to take part in “filming” he had planned later in the week.
He said he was filming something called “the simulation,” where he had built a “simulated” car and was filming various people and how they’d react to traffic stops. The women would be paid $50.00 for two hours of filming as they went through “the simulation” and he freely admitted that he needed more women to be involved in the project.
The women appeared to feign interest in the project but accepted his contact details and said they’d be in touch. Afterwards, DeCastro was appalled by those in his chat who accused him of trying to approach the women with romantic intend, scoffing at the idea and stating openly that he simply needed more women for his “simulation.”
DeCastro returned to covering the riot soon after that and became influenced by the crowd to attempt to provoke police officers. He approached several female officers and national guard members and told them that it wasn’t their fault that they were “DEI Hires” and that they were put in an unobtainable position.
For male officers, he focused on telling them that they would experience “severe PTSD” later in life based on their actions as a police officer. He claimed that he talked to “many” police officers who confessed that the PTSD had ruined their lives and implored the officers to quit the police force immediately.
None of the officers, male or female, seemed swayed by his arguments.
DeCastro was later shot in the chest by either a rubber bullet or a beanbag by an officer who took direct aim at the YouTuber. Police officers on horseback had entered the area DeCastro was standing in, and he was shot by the object when he paused to look back at where the officers were located.
The YouTuber would claim that it was a “rubber bullet” and seemed to ignore the pain from the blow as he ran around the area, looking for a way around the police while staying in the cordoned off area. Eventually, he would find a deserted path that led back to his car.
While in his car he said he didn’t want to go to jail and attempted to stick his finger in the “hole” in his chest where he had been shot. This continued his long-standing belief that inserting fingers into injuries could stop someone from bleeding out. DeCastro did not observe bleeding through his shirt and would refuse to lift up his shift to assess his injury.
He would later briefly return to the protests and had promised to go live again once he charged his mobile phone and arrived at the scene of smoke in the distance.
The YouTuber would not return to stream Sunday night.
As of press time, DeCastro released a YouTube short showing the incident where he was poked in the chest. It is unclear if DeCastro has filed a police report on either officer involved incident or if he will take legal action against the officers for his injuries.
DeCastro’s bold statements about his status as a nationally known civil rights activist and influencer may also impact his on-going defamation lawsuits. His belief that he is a “public figure” may hinder his ability to sue for defamation as those deemed celebrities, or “public figures” are held to higher standards to prove defamation.
This is a developing news story.
