Teenager pleas guilty to attacking California sea lion in viral video

Tyler Muehl, 18, could face a year in prison for kicking marine animal four times on La Jolla coast

An 18-year-old California man has admitted he https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/27/person-kicks-sea-lion-video-investigation">kicked a sea lion in a video that went viral recently – while referring to himself by the name of an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) competitor – and has pleaded guilty to a federal crime.

Tyler Muehl, of San Diego’s La Jolla neighborhood, faces up to a year in prison and a $100,000 fine after acknowledging in court on Thursday that he violated the Marine Mammal Protection Act’s prohibition on harassment of wildlife, federal prosecutors https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdca/pr/la-jolla-teen-pleads-guilty-harassing-la-jolla-sea-lion">said in a statement.