A video circulating on social media shows Wasco Mayor Alex Garcia being assaulted after he allegedly tried to meet with a minor boy.
Garcia’s social media accounts were taken offline after the video was posted. He recently ran for Kern County Supervisor, running a distant third to re-elected Supervisor David Couch.
Driving the news: Along with a video posted to X on July 24, a Facebook page called “Bakersfield Crime Watch” alleged that Garcia came to an arranged location after talking with who he thought were a 15-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl.
- The post alleged that Garcia came to “do horrific things to the kid.”
- Garcia allegedly told the two people in the video that he was bringing “poppers,” condoms, marijuana and other sexual items.
State of play: Per a report in the Wasco Tribune, the Bakersfield Police Department is investigating the situation.
- A spokesperson for the Bakersfield Police Department told The Sun that the department is aware of the posts on social media regarding Garcia and that the department has put in a request with the people who posted the information. The department had not heard back from them as of Monday morning.
Go deeper: In the video posted on X, two men Garcia that the police have been called, while one of them is seen assaulting Garcia.
- One of the men told Garcia to not touch “little boys no more.”
- Garcia says in the video, “I’m sorry. Please no. I never will.”
Watch: Here’s the video that was posted on X last week.
Flashback: Garcia was arrested and charged with driving under the influence in 2021, but the charge was dropped after a judge ruled that his blood-alcohol content at the time of his arrest did not exceed .08.
- Garcia pleaded no contest to a charge of alcohol-related reckless driving.
- He was removed as Mayor by the Wasco City Council after the arrest but was reinstated last December to serve for 2024.
