LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Body camera video, protest footage, and a growing legal battle are shedding new light on what happened during last summer's anti-ICE demonstrations in downtown Las Vegas — including one arrest that's raising new questions about police tactics and constitutional rights.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department arrested 94 people during a June 11, 2025, protest against federal immigration enforcement in downtown Las Vegas. Only 6 were charged, including videographer Rigoberto "Rigo" Felix, who was tackled to the ground while filming police.
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Jose Leos, who documented the protest on social media while dressed as the Joker, was at the demonstration alongside Felix. Leos said the two set out to take the pulse of protesters that night.
"As a child of parents who immigrated here from Mexico back in the 90s, I feel like I have a duty to basically do what I can with what I have to kind of bring awareness to what's going on," Leos said.
Video from that night shows the crowd was peaceful as police arrived.
"We are peaceful," said one protester who Leos interviewed. "Look around here. There's no rioting. No one's burned anything down. We're here to stand expressing our freedom of speech. We're here standing together."
"I think what our government is doing to people of color in our country is wrong," said another protester. "The Constitution was thrown out the window. We basically have one branch of the government now."
When officers ordered protesters to disperse, Leos and Felix's group moved from the area near the federal building to Fremont Street, where they continued filming while dancing to live music with other protesters.
"Oh my gosh!" exclaimed a breathless Leos as he danced. "I can't believe it! We're still going! Fighting for peace! Peacefully! Peace is key! Peace is the answer!"
As they moved into the area near Fremont and 8th Street, police deployed tear gas and pepper balls. Video captured Leos shouting as he ran.
"We're going! We're leaving! We're leaving," Leos said in the video. "Leave my boy alone! I'm peaceful!"
"Mr. Leos verbally stands up for his friend because he didn't do anything wrong," said Attorney Stephen Stubbs, who represents both Leos and Felix. "And then he's shot with a pepperball. And then he's running away, and he's shot three more times with pepperballs — in the back."
Through a compilation of body camera videos, Stubbs' legal team identified then-Deputy Chief Bryan Peterson as the officer who shot Leos in the back three times. Body camera footage captured Peterson saying, "I want to isolate them and arrest every one of them." Peterson, who oversaw SWAT at the time, has since been promoted to assistant sheriff.
"We know that then-Deputy Chief Bryan Peterson was there pointing the pepperball gun at Mr. Leos. And we know that just 20 minutes earlier he had shot another person in the back," Stubbs said.
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Stubbs has other ongoing federal lawsuits against Metro stemming from the June 2025 ICE protest. He said all the cases share a common goal: to stop what he calls a pattern of unconstitutional policing.
As I previously reported, in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests, Metro told a Nevada federal judge it had learned lessons and changed its use of force policy — after several civil rights lawyers filed court motions to get police to stop shooting protesters who were not a threat.
"Police promised that they wouldn't. They changed their policies, showed the court and said, 'Court, we're not gonna do this anymore. We have seen the error of our ways.' And then you see situations like this and you just shake your head," Stubbs said.
"What does it say to the community that police officers are shooting protesters — who are complying — in the back?" I asked Stubbs.
"It's sad when the police brass believe that they can end a protest because some protesters are not following the law," Stubbs replied.
Undersheriff Andrew Walsh, in a videotaped deposition for another one of Stubbs' protest cases, emphasized the difficulty officers face.
"It's an immense challenge to try to manage when those folks regroup — to differentiate between who's peaceful and who's not," Walsh said. "The people that are not peaceful have ruined it for those that are peaceful. And the police officer is caught in the middle."
While Leos was able to go home that night, Felix was not. Felix was tackled, booked into jail, and given a citation for disturbing the peace before being released to receive medical care for a head injury he suffered when officers took him down.
"Once they tackled me, I had a huge welt on my head and then, like, my hands and arm were all cut and bruised," Felix said.
Body camera footage from inside the jail captured an officer telling Felix the charge would likely be changed.
"So, what's gonna happen is you're gonna get issued a citation... it's gonna say on there 'breach of peace'. But the D.A.'s probably going to change it to 'failure to disperse'," the officer said in the footage.
Months later, Felix said he still doesn't understand why he was arrested.
"Our rights are now thrown out the window? Where do we draw the line as people? What freedoms do we have?" Felix said.
Stubbs was direct in his assessment.
"Mr. Felix wasn't doing anything wrong. He was protesting peacefully. He was videotaping. He was participating peacefully in this protest. And he was hunted down by SWAT and arrested, all because of this policy that Metro can end a protest," Stubbs said.
When asked how that policy aligns with the right to freedom of speech, Stubbs said it doesn't.
"That policy violates the freedom of speech. That policy violates the right to peaceably assemble," Stubbs said.
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I was in Las Vegas Municipal Court as Stubbs fought Felix's criminal citation, entering a not guilty plea on Felix's behalf. The case was set for trial, but the trial never happened. Stubbs said Metro refused to release all body camera footage from Felix's arrest, so the city attorney dropped the charge and the case was dismissed.
Now, the fight moves to federal court.
"Let me not just be a statistic," Felix said.
Leos said he hopes the lawsuits lead to change.
"I feel like hopefully with not only my lawsuit, but with all the other ones, they'll practice some sort of restraint. So, that way, our freedoms aren't stepped over," Leos said. "If there's no accountability, then they're just going to continue to do it. And if not, it's gonna get worse."
Metro has not responded to a request for comment.
