A local teen pleaded guilty Thursday in San Diego federal court to kicking and harassing a California sea lion in La Jolla Cove last month, a crime that was recorded and sparked outrage as it went viral on social media.
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Tyler Muehl, an 18-year-old La Jolla resident, admitted to attacking the animal as it peacefully sat on a sea wall near Ellen Browning Scripps Park the night of July 22, according to the plea agreement he signed Thursday.
He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which makes it illegal to harass, torment or disturb wild marine animals protected under the law, including the California sea lion. Under the law, “harassment” includes an act that “has the potential to injure a marine mammal or marine mammal stock in the wild” or “has the potential to disturb a marine mammal or marine mammal stock in the wild by causing disruption of behavioral patterns, including, but not limited to, migration, breathing, nursing, breeding, feeding, or sheltering.”
Muehl faces a maximum sentence of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine.
The video, tagged as being recorded at 11:50 p.m., shows Muehl approaching the animal with his hands at high guard and pretending to be a UFC fighter, prosecutors said. He then kicks at the animal as it rests on the low wall.
“Defendant raised his leg a second time and forcefully kicked at the sea lion’s face again, causing the animal to flinch and recoil,” the plea agreement reads. “The sea lion turned around and attempted to flee. Defendant pursued the animal and kicked a third time.”
While the sea lion attempted to get away, it stumbled on the wall, according to the court document. The plea states Muehl continued to chase the sea lion and kicked at it a fourth time before the animal crossed over the wall and onto the beach.
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Muehl admitted in the plea agreement that during at least one of the kicks he made contact with the sea lion.
Muehl’s defense attorney could not be immediately reached for comment Thursday.
The video of the incident quickly circulated online, garnering national media attention as well as condemnation from local residents, social media commentators and animal rights advocates. In the aftermath, another young man was wrongly accused on social media of being the assailant and spoke with NBC 7, claiming he had received threats and been harassed based on the misidentification.
As part of the plea deal, Muehl agreed that the video was a fair and accurate recording of what he had done that night, prosecutors said.
The video of the attack was referred to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement for investigation.
“Intentionally striking or kicking a marine mammal is not only illegal — it is dangerous for the well-being of the animal,” the office’s Assistant Director Eric Morgan said in a statement.
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Muehl is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 20 in San Diego federal court.