Antifa protesters involved in 2021 Pacific Beach riot sentenced

Counter-protesters, some carrying ANTIFA flags, stand under palm trees on the beach as they wait to confront demonstrators for a demonstration in support of U.S. President Donald Trump, January 9, 2021, in the Pacific Beach neighborhood of San Diego, California. (Photo by Patrick T. FALLON / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — A contingent of anti-fascist protesters involved in a 2021 clash with supporters of former President Donald Trump in Pacific Beach were sentenced in court Friday on various criminal charges.

The conviction officially ends a high-profile criminal case that involved nearly a dozen defendants who were believed to be members of the anti-fascist group Antifa.

The eight defendants convicted Friday received prison sentences ranging from 180 days to two years in prison, according to District Attorney Summer Stephan's office.

Among them are two men, Jeremy White and Brian Cortez Lightfoot Jr., who were convicted of assault charges after a weeklong trial earlier this year. The other six defendants sentenced Friday had already pleaded guilty and would receive reduced charges and prison time.

Three other defendants are already serving prison terms ranging from two years and eight months to five years behind bars, prosecutors said.

“I have no idea whether Trump supporters were offensive to the defendants and others in Pacific Beach that day,” said the judge presiding over Friday's sentencing. “But that’s the nature of political discourse. This is not to say that individuals with offensive speech cannot come together, rally and protest – ANTIFA could have done that.

The charges stem from a melee during a counter-protest to the so-called “Patriots March” in Pacific Beach on January 9, 2021. Antifa-affiliated protesters were accused of using tear gas and attacking pro-Trump demonstrators with other weapons.

A grand jury handed down indictments against 11 people about a year later, in 2022. All of the defendants were either convicted of the charges or pleaded guilty, prosecutors said.