Teen Pleads Guilty After Kicking Sea Lion in the Face and Chasing It as It Tried to Escape

A Viral Video Leads to a Federal Guilty Plea

An 18-year-old California man pleaded guilty to a federal misdemeanor after admitting he repeatedly kicked a sea lion, including twice forcefully at its face, and chased the animal as it tried to escape at La Jolla Cove.

Tyler Muehl of La Jolla entered his guilty plea Aug. 13 to violating the Marine Mammal Protection Act, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California. The encounter happened late on July 22 near Ellen Browning Scripps Park in San Diego.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement investigated after video of the encounter circulated widely online. CBS News had previously reported that federal wildlife authorities opened an investigation after the footage surfaced.

Muehl is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 20.

Prosecutors Say Four Kicks Were Directed at the Animal

According to Muehl’s plea agreement, the sea lion had been sitting on a seawall when he approached it with his hands raised as though preparing to box or fight.

Federal prosecutors said Muehl admitted kicking at the animal four times and making contact.

Two of those kicks were directed forcefully at the sea lion’s face, causing the animal to react and recoil, according to the plea agreement. After the second kick, the sea lion turned and attempted to flee.

Muehl followed it and kicked toward it again.

As the animal continued trying to get away, Muehl pursued it along the seawall and made another kicking motion before ending the chase when the sea lion escaped over the wall and reached the beach.

The plea agreement also states that Muehl agreed the video of the incident was a fair and accurate record of what occurred.

Federal Wildlife Law Covers Harassment and Pursuit

The Marine Mammal Protection Act makes it illegal, without authorization, to engage in certain conduct involving protected marine mammals.

In Muehl’s case, prosecutors charged him with knowingly and unlawfully “taking” a marine mammal by harassing and hunting a California sea lion. Under the federal law, “take” includes certain forms of pursuit or harassment that can potentially injure a marine mammal or disturb its normal behavior.

The case was investigated by NOAA Fisheries’ Office of Law Enforcement.

Eric Morgan, assistant director of the agency’s West Coast Division, said in the DOJ announcement that intentionally striking or kicking a marine mammal is illegal and can endanger the animal’s well-being.

The criminal case carries a potential penalty that goes well beyond a warning or citation.

The Guilty Plea Establishes Responsibility

Muehl pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

Because he admitted the offense, the case has moved from determining criminal responsibility to deciding what sentence should follow.

The statutory maximum is one year in prison and a $100,000 fine, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. A maximum penalty is not a prediction of the sentence that will actually be imposed.

U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon summarized the government’s position in three words: “Federal crime. Federal consequences.”

Sentencing is scheduled before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jill L. Burkhardt on Oct. 20. The federal case number is 26CR3151-JO-JLB.

What Started on a Seawall Now Ends in Court

The incident lasted only a short time, but the video gave federal investigators a direct record of the encounter.

Muehl ultimately acknowledged that the footage accurately showed his actions, including continuing to pursue the animal as it tried to move away.

That transformed a viral clip into evidence in a federal wildlife case.

NOAA’s investigation and the resulting guilty plea also show that federal protections for marine mammals cover deliberate harassment and pursuit, not only cases in which an animal is killed.

Muehl will learn the legal consequences of his actions when he returns to court in October.

Until then, the case ends where the viral video could not: with an admitted federal offense and a judge left to determine the punishment.

References: Teen Pleads Guilty After Kicking Sea Lion in Viral Video | San Diego man pleads guilty to kicking protected sea lion in an attack caught on video | Teen caught on video kicking sea lion pleads guilty, faces prison time: “Federal crime. Federal consequences.”

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