Teen pleads guilty after kicking sea lion in the face and chasing it as it tried to escape
Tyler Muehl, 18, admitted to repeatedly kicking the sea lion and chasing it as the animal tried to flee at La Jolla Cove
NEED TO KNOW
- Tyler Muehl, 18, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act
- Muehl admitted to repeatedly kicking a sea lion at La Jolla Cove, including twice in the face
- He faces up to one year in prison and a $100,000 fine at his Oct. 20 sentencing
An 18-year-old California man has pleaded guilty after he was caught on video repeatedly kicking a sea lion and chasing the animal as it tried to escape.
Tyler Muehl, of La Jolla, pleaded guilty on Thursday, Aug. 13, to a misdemeanor violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act’s prohibition on harassing wildlife, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California.
Muehl admitted in his plea agreement that he approached the California sea lion late on the evening of July 22 as it sat on a sea wall in La Jolla Cove near Ellen Browning Scripps Park.
As he approached the animal, Muehl held his hands up as if preparing to box or fight it and referred to himself as “Max Holloway,” the UFC fighter, according to the plea agreement.
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Muehl repeatedly kicked the sea lion’s face, causing it to flinch and recoil, according to the plea agreement. After the second kick, the sea lion turned and tried to flee.
But Muehl chased after it and kicked at it a third time, according to the plea agreement. The sea lion stumbled on the sea wall as it tried to get away.
Muehl kicked at the animal a fourth time and continued chasing it until the sea lion escaped over the sea wall and reached the beach, he admitted.
Video of the encounter went viral. As part of his plea agreement, Muehl agreed that the video was a fair and accurate recording of what happened.
Muehl pleaded guilty to knowingly and unlawfully taking a marine mammal by harassing and hunting it. Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, “take” includes acts of harassment that have the potential to injure a marine mammal or disturb its behavior.
“Federal crime. Federal consequences,” U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon said in the release.
“Intentionally striking or kicking a marine mammal is not only illegal—it is dangerous for the well-being of the animal,” said Eric Morgan, assistant director of NOAA Fisheries’ Office of Law Enforcement West Coast Division.
Muehl faces a maximum sentence of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine. He is scheduled to be sentenced before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jill L. Burkhardt on Oct. 20.
