Livestreamer arrested while filming LA traffic stop

Livestreamer Gonzalo Gonzalez was arrested while documenting a police traffic stop in Los Angeles, California, on March 5, 2025. Officers accused him of obstructing their work, but prosecutors later declined to pursue the charges.

Gonzalez, who livestreams and publishes videos on his YouTube channel, EastLos Audits, was documenting the stop from at least 10 feet away, according to a lawsuit he filed against the city on April 1, 2026.

The complaint, which accuses police of violating California law and the First and Fourth amendments, describes Gonzalez as an activist. Gonzalez told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he identifies as a journalist.

When Gonzalez started filming the traffic stop, two officers warned him that he was getting too close, Gonzalez recounted to the Tracker.

“I just kept walking,” Gonzalez said. He was trying to get to the other side of the encounter for a better angle to film. Once he reached the other side of the street, police directed him to move about 40 feet to the street corner.

“Go down to the corner or you are going to end up like this,” one officer said, according to the lawsuit, pointing toward the person being detained.

Gonzalez said he told police he was not interfering and wanted to remain close enough to hear what they were saying: “I’m just here to document.”

The officers continued ordering Gonzalez to move and accusing him of interfering with the stop. After about five minutes, the officers grabbed Gonzalez and handcuffed him, according to the lawsuit. He was taken to a police station and held for about four hours.

Gonzalez said he would have followed a lawful order but did not believe the officers’ demands were justified, because he was not interfering with the traffic stop. He said he believes he was targeted because he was recording the encounter and refused to comply with what he considered unlawful orders.

“They didn’t like the fact that I was documenting,” he told the Tracker. “They didn’t like that I wouldn’t listen to their requests. I felt like they targeted me for that purpose.”