New Delhi:
A California woman was arrested on Thursday after she allegedly replaced a US flag with the Mexican at Hart Park in Bakersfield. Crystal Aguilar was arrested for slashing the chain securing the flagpole before throwing the Stars and Stripes in the mud and raising the Mexican flag in its place, according to reports. She was taken into custody on charges of vandalism and trespassing.
The Kern County Sheriff posted a video of the incident and arrest on YouTube. In the video, the 24-year-old is seen resisting arrest as rangers hold her down while she repeatedly threatens to have them and their families killed. “You’re not going to tell me what to do, this is Mexican land, mother******,” she was heard yelling in the video.
At around 9:36 am, the police responded after receiving multiple reports of a person attempting to steal the American flag from the park entrance. Upon arrival, park rangers found Aguilar’s white sedan stuck in the muddy grass near the flagpole.
When the rangers approached, they found Aguilar had already removed the American flag and replaced it with the Mexican flag. Reports indicate that when park rangers attempted to detain her, she physically resisted and made verbal threats. “My dad is going to kill you and all your family. You think this is a joke. It’s not,” she said.
She was booked on charges of PC 69 for threatening a police officer, PC594 for vandalism, and PC148 for resisting arrest, trespassing, and marijuana possession. Aguilar was booked at Lerdo Jail and is scheduled to appear in court on Monday.
According to KBAK, Aguilar, a well-known immigrant rights activist in Kern County, recently protested against ICE raids in her area by claiming that her Mexican parents were deported when she was a young girl.