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Journalist Mario Guevara’s charges dropped after anti-ICE protest arrest

By FOX 5 Atlanta Digital Team
Published  June 25, 2025 4:06pm EDT
Doraville
FOX 5 Atlanta
article

Mario Guevara. FOX 5 Atlanta image

The Brief

    • Charges against journalist Mario Guevara, arrested during an anti-ICE protest, have been dropped due to insufficient evidence for prosecution.
    • Video evidence showed Guevara generally complying with law enforcement directives, lacking clear criminal intent to disregard commands.
    • DeKalb County Solicitor-General decided not to pursue charges after reviewing evidence, despite initial probable cause for arrest.

DORAVILLE, Ga. - All charges have been dropped against Mario Guevara, a well-known Spanish-language journalist who was arrested earlier this month while covering an anti-ICE protest in DeKalb County.

The backstory:

Guevara was taken into custody on June 14 while filming a demonstration at the intersection of Chamblee-Tucker Road and Northcrest Road in Doraville. He was initially charged with unlawful assembly, obstruction of a law enforcement officer, and being a pedestrian on or along the roadway.

What they're saying:

DeKalb County Solicitor-General Donna Coleman-Stribling announced Wednesday that her office would not pursue the charges.

"After carefully reviewing the evidence, including video evidence surrounding his arrest, I have determined that while there was probable cause to support the initial arrest, the evidence is insufficient to sustain a prosecution beyond a reasonable doubt," Coleman-Stribling said in a statement.

She noted that Guevara was given multiple directives by different law enforcement agencies managing the protest. "At the time of his arrest, the video evidence shows Mr. Guevara generally in compliance and does not demonstrate the intent to disregard law enforcement directives," she said. "Given the lack of a clear criminal intent by Mr. Guevara to ignore any lawful commands, the case is dismissed as charged."

The other side:

Attorneys for Guevara say they are pleased with the charges being dismissed. 

What's next:

The 47-year-old still faces charges of distracted driving, failure to obey a traffic control device, and reckless driving in Gwinnett County.

He also is expected to appear at the Stewart Immigration Court for a bond hearing on Tuesday.

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The Source: The DeKalb County Solicitor-General provided the details for this article. Previous FOX 5 Atlanta reporting was also used.

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