A motorcyclist has been jailed after allegedly accelerating into a crowd of union protesters outside a California Amazon warehouse, injuring three people.
Jesus Salcido Perez, 40, of Perris, was booked into the Cois Byrd Detention Center on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon following the Wednesday morning incident outside the DJT6 facility in the unincorporated Riverside area, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office.
The confrontation occurred around 10:28 a.m. On Krameria Avenue, where deputies responding to multiple 911 calls found three injured people. All three were transported to a local hospital in stable condition. Investigators determined that Perez had intentionally accelerated his motorcycle into the group, authorities said.
Robert Gonzalez, a spokesman for Teamsters Local 1932 who was present at the demonstration, said the two people struck by the motorcycle appeared to suffer minor injuries. Neither victim was an Amazon employee; both were local union members supporting warehouse workers.
The protest was part of an organized walkout at Amazon’s DJT6 warehouse, with workers demanding better pay and working conditions. Gonzalez said several hundred people had been picketing when the walkout began, with several dozen still demonstrating when the motorcycle entered the crowd.
Amazon confirmed it knew about the incident. “We are aware of an incident outside our DJT6 facility in Riverside,” an Amazon spokesman told the LA Times, adding that it happened “during an unlawful Teamsters demonstration.” The company separately rejected union retaliation claims in a statement to the Press-Enterprise, saying it already provides “much of what the Teamsters are requesting.”
The Teamsters have accused Amazon of illegally retaliating against workers who sought to improve conditions on the job. Gonzalez said union members had made an effort to keep the demonstration within the law.
“Safety is always our utmost priority,” he said. “This was just an unfortunate situation.”
Perez was released from the hospital before being taken into custody. The sheriff’s office said the investigation remains ongoing and that no further information was available.