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A California mayor claims he was “tricked” into arranging a rendezvous with someone he reportedly believed was underage, only to find himself facing down a pair of self-appointed vigilantes who recorded themselves confronting, then brutally beating, the stunned official.
In the days since, local leaders have called for the 34-year-old mayor — who has not been charged with a crime — to “immediately resign,” while his attorney speculated the attack may have been motivated by homophobia.
A video posted July 24 to a now-private Facebook group called “Bakersfield Crime Watch” showed Alex Garcia, the first openly gay elected official in Wasco, a Bakersfield suburb that produces some 55 percent of the nation’s roses, arriving at a prearranged location, purportedly to meet a 15-year-old boy he had been communicating with on Sniffies, a gay dating app.
The post’s author, who goes by “Davonn Bradley,” said Garcia showed up with condoms, marijuana, sex toys, and amyl nitrate, known as “poppers.”
Bradley, who did not respond to messages on Wednesday, told a local news outlet that he and a man he identified as his brother had been posing online as teens in an attempt to “catch predators, ask them why and what they’re doing here, and release the videos to the public so people know who they are and can report them.”
Garcia, according to Bradley’s post, was planning to “do horrific things” to the fictitious child. At least one of the men in the video can be seen assaulting Garcia as he demands he “don’t… touch no little boys no more.”
"I’m sorry,” Garcia responds. “Please, no. I never will.”
Reached by phone on Wednesday afternoon, Garcia, a Democrat, hung up immediately when The Independent requested comment. A second attempt rang through to voicemail.
Garcia’s lawyer earlier issued a statement on his behalf, saying he advised his client “not to make any statements because there are a few investigations that appear to be ongoing.”
“Based on the information we have available right now, it appears to be a situation where two individuals tricked Alex and lured him to a location in Bakersfield and then attacked him," attorney Jared Thompson said. “The video that is circulating shows felony conduct on the part of the individuals, not Alex. Based on Alex’s sexual orientation, it appears that this could have been some kind of hate crime or homophobic attack.”
Bakersfield police said they were aware of the video, but that they had not been able to get in touch with Bradley. But Bradley did speak with a reporter from the Wasco Tribune on Tuesday, insisting he and the other man involved in the unofficial sting operation “didn’t meet up with [Garcia] to fight; we even told him we didn’t want to hurt him.”
Bradley, who said he and the other man involved are both 26, claimed Garcia “kept reaching into his bag as if he had a weapon.”
“Naturally, anyone would defend themselves in that situation,” he told the Tribune. “... Our theory is that he wanted to drug this kid and do things like he said in that audio recording.”
According to the Tribune, Bradley shared screenshots of alleged text messages from Garcia to the purported 15-year-old, in which a person identifying himself as Garcia said he was “looking for younger,” and reacting with apparent glee when the “teen” described himself as “super young.” Bradley also showed the reporter a $25 CashApp payment from Garcia, which he said was a payment in exchange for the boy’s silence.
Garcia was first elected in 2016, but stepped down in 2021 from his position as mayor following a drunk driving arrest. He pleaded no contest to the charges, and was reinstated to office last December.
On Tuesday, Kern County Democratic Party Central Committee Chairman Christian Romo released a statement calling for Garcia to step down.
“The Kern County Democratic Party unequivocally condemns any acts of violence, sexual assault, and harassment in any form, especially when involving an individual who cannot give consent, such as a minor,” the statement said. “As such, the Kern County Democratic Party calls on Mr. Garcia to immediately resign from his position on the Wasco City Council, so that the city can focus on the work of serving its citizens without distraction.”
Bakersfield police have confirmed they are aware of the video, but that they “have no more information than the information posted” online and have received “no reports regarding the assault.”
