SAN DIEGO (AP) — A San Diego man pleaded guilty to a federal charge after he was caught on video kicking and chasing a protected sea lion at a local beach.
Tyler Muehl, an 18-year-old from the upscale neighborhood of La Jolla, pleaded guilty Thursday to violating the Marine Mammal Protection Act when he repeatedly kicked the animal as it tried to get away on July 22 at La Jolla Cove beach, U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon said in a statement.
The video, which went viral, shows Muehl throwing kicks at the sea lion that was sitting on a sea wall as at least one other person can be heard laughing in the background. Muehl follows the sea lion, throwing more kicks at it as it tries to scoot away before the video ends.
Muehl admitted that he kicked at the sea lion four times and landed at least two kicks on the animal, federal prosecutors said.
As part of his plea agreement, Muehl also acknowledged that a video capturing the attack was a fair and accurate recording of what occurred, they said.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s guidelines say people should stay at least 50 feet (15 meters) away from sea lions, seals and other species protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
“Intentionally striking or kicking a marine mammal is not only illegal — it is dangerous for the well-being of the animal,” said Eric Morgan, an official with the NOAA-Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement West Coast Division, which investigated the case.
Muehl faces up to a year in prison and a fine of $100,000 when he's sentenced Oct. 20.
FILE- A sea lion swims over sea grass in San Diego's La Jolla Cove on Oct. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Friday downplayed the toll on American sailors enduring a record-setting deployment of nearly nine months on the USS Abraham Lincoln as concerns escalated about mental health and supply issues aboard the aircraft carrier supporting U.S. operations against Iran.
In a brief exchange with reporters before flying to New York for an event to highlight falling violent crime rates across the U.S., Trump refuted that family members have raised concerns about the deployment's length and even said that the more than 260-day deployment is “not nearly long enough.”
"That ship is moving right now, or very shortly, and it’s being replaced with another very similar ship,” Trump said when asked about the lengthy deployment.
The Lincoln has been supporting the U.S. war against Iran, and several Democratic lawmakers, including Sens. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Ruben Gallego of Arizona, are pressing for accountability from the Pentagon over conditions aboard the carrier, which Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday said were “completely misrepresented.”
Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., who served three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne Division and 75th Ranger Regiment before being elected, took to social media to criticize Trump’s comments, saying on X that “President Trump does not care about our servicemembers or their families."
Extended deployments of carriers during the Iran conflict have raised concerns about the impact on service members who are away from home for long periods as well as the increasing strain on the ship and its equipment.
While hostilities between the U.S. and Iran have calmed in recent weeks, the Navy has reimposed a blockade on Iranian ports in the crucial Strait of Hormuz, and the Trump administration has offered no clarity on how it intends to wind down the war. Hegseth said that the U.S. military can maintain the blockage of Iranian ports “indefinitely.”
Another aircraft carrier, the USS George Washington, left port in Da Nang, Vietnam, last week, and is expected to replace the USS Lincoln, one of two aircraft carriers currently deployed in the Middle East.
After reports emerged that sailors on the Lincoln are struggling with mental health concerns, the Navy said it has “not observed an increase in suicidal ideations or attempts aboard the ship,” though officials have declined to provide data, citing operational security and patient privacy concerns.
A Navy official said that a sailor aboard the Lincoln went overboard in early August but that the person was quickly recovered, treated by the ship’s medical department and transferred off ship for follow-on care. The official would not say whether it was being considered a suicide attempt.
U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, has also pushed back on reports about poor conditions.
AP writer Michelle L. Price contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump speaks with reporters before boarding Air Force One, Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
