Local News
Derek Kinnison, pardoned for Jan. 6 crimes, gets hero’s welcome at Temecula church

In the eyes of a Washington, D.C. jury, Derek Kinnison is a criminal who took part in an insurrection. But at 412 Church Temecula Valley, Kinnison is a true Christian.
The 43-year-old Lake Elsinore man and his family received an embrace from Pastor Tim Thompson, a standing ovation and cheers at the church Sunday, Jan. 26, almost a week after Kinnison and others convicted of crimes in the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot received pardons from President Donald Trump.
RELATED: Pardons for Southern California Jan. 6 defendants include those who attacked police
“The Bible says that we weep with those who weep,” Thompson told a packed house. “Certainly nine months ago when he was going into prison, we all wept with this family as they wept. But today, we rejoice with them as they rejoice.”
Thompson welcomed Kinnison, his wife Amie and his 16-year-old daughter Faye on stage to a cheering congregation. A member of 412 Church, Kinnison talked about holding daily devotional services while incarcerated and reading the message for Jan. 20, the day he was pardoned.
It was a verse from Exodus “and it’s ‘let my people go,’” Kinnison said to loud applause.
While Kinnison was also the guest at a post-service party at the southwest Riverside County church, others said it’s offensive to honor Kinnison and others who were pardoned for their actions on Jan. 6.
“Someone who made plans to bring weapons to the Capitol in order to do whatever it was that they were planning on doing there … the church I was raised in would never have done anything like that,” said Murrieta resident Jenn Reeves, a Thompson critic. “To me, that is very much against what Christianity truly should be.”
She added: “The fact that a church would celebrate a man who not only helped plan but actually helped in the transport of weapons to the Capitol is a very dangerous precedent to set.”
Brian Levin, professor emeritus at Cal State San Bernardino and founding director of its Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, said via email that he “fully and unequivocally support(s) the First Amendment right of others to be cringe-worthy wrong for celebrating those in the self-proclaimed ‘DC Brigade’ whose participants were duly convicted of multiple insurrection felonies.”
“I do have a question,” Levin added. “Doesn’t forgiveness, let alone celebration, elementally require acknowledgement of proven wrongdoing? A grace noticeably and condemnably lacking here.”
Kinnison said he wasn’t expecting to be taken into custody when he arrived in Washington, D.C. for sentencing. He said he told the prosecutors: “I”m going to be a prisoner for Christ. I’m not a prisoner of the (U.S. Department of Justice).”
Amie Kinnison said she felt “over the moon” about her husband’s release. Fay said she was “ecstatic,” adding: “I’m just so proud to be the daughter of a J6er.”
Thompson also incorporated Kinnison into his Sunday message for the congregation. Talking about how true Christians don’t throw pity parties for themselves, Thompson said Kinnison never complained about his troubles while in prison.
“Bad things happen to good people, and Derek knew that,” Thompson said.
Afterward, the church held a party for Kinnison featuring the food he missed while in prison — tacos.
People signed framed images of the American flag with messages reading “Welcome home! God bless you,” “May God grant you a double pardon for all that was lost” and “Great to have you back Patriot!”
Bracelets on a table at the church read “Free the J6ers.”
In an interview Sunday, Kinnison, who was sentenced to more than two years in prison, criticized what he called unfair treatment by this newspaper and other media.
“I’ve had a lot of attacks through the media and it’s led to hate mail coming to my house,” he said. “My house has been attacked.”
Kinnison said: “I understand that it’s pretty easy, especially off of reading — You Google my name and I mean it’s bad. My online presence is mostly negative.”
He added: “God calls men to be protectors. That day on Jan. 6, there were probably a couple million people at the Ellipse rally (at the Capitol). So that’s a pretty big group of people to just categorize together. Everybody had different reasons … My heart, as Pastor Tim said, is just safety. I worked security for the church.”
Kinnison said he did “some First Aid training” and brought about $500 worth of trauma gear to the Capitol.
He said he was at the Capitol “to potentially mitigate situations. Everywhere that I went as far as rallies prior to (Jan. 6), we would always engage law enforcement and say, ‘Hey, we’re here to help.’”
“That was always our heart, was to be protectors and just to try to mitigate situations,” he said. “The other flip side of that coin was, four guys — at the time I was 39 … we all had some time off work and we rented a car and we went on a road trip. We called it Cannonball Run 2021.”
Kinnison is among hundreds of people, including at least two dozen from Southern California, convicted for crimes related to the riot receiving pardons from Trump, who issued them shortly after taking office Monday, Jan. 20, and has referred to the convicts as “hostages” and “political prisoners.”
After a 17-day jury trial, Kinnison and three other Inland Empire residents — Erik Scott Warner of Menifee, Felipe Antonio “Tony” Martinez of Lake Elsinore and Ronald Mele of Temecula — were convicted in federal court in November 2023 of conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding and obstruction of an official proceeding.
In addition, Warner and Kinnison were convicted of tampering with documents or proceedings, a felony, after they erased social-media chats from their phone to hide them from a grand jury probe.
The four men also were found guilty of misdemeanor offenses of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds and disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds.
According to prosecutors, the men at the time were members of the Three Percenters, a far-right anti-government militia that believes only 3% of colonists fought the British during the American Revolution. Kinnison said Sunday he was a Three Percenter, but not now.
According to the indictment, on Jan. 6, Kinnison and the other Inland Empire men went to the Ellipse for the rally and afterward headed toward the Capitol. As they approached the Capitol about 2 p.m., Kinnison announced, “This is the storm of the Capitol,” the indictment alleged.
Kinnison was among those who advanced on a police line on the northwest lawn, and while he didn’t enter the Capitol, he and two others ascended to the Upper West Terrace intending to join Warner, who entered the building, prosecutors said.
Kinnison said Sunday he had an opportunity to enter an open door at the Capitol, but “I made the discernment that ‘OK, that’s not a welcome situation.’ I’m not here for this. People were battling with police. I’m not anybody who wants to battle with police.”

Kinnison’s attorney Nicolai Cocis confirmed the men brought with them ballistic vests, bear spray, gas masks, handguns and shotguns for defense against Antifa. Kinnison said he brought “defensive tools” as “a last resort” but had no intentions to attack anyone.
“I’ve hugged it out in the middle of the streets with Antifa,” Kinnison said.
The head of 412 Church, Thompson is well-connected to prominent conservatives.
The president’s son, Eric Trump, and Trump attorney Alina Habba headlined a May 2024 fundraiser for Thompson’s Inland Empire Family Political Action Committee, which supports Christian conservative school board candidates, including several elected to school boards in southwest Riverside County and Redlands.
Also appearing at the fundraiser was Kash Patel, Trump’s pick to lead the FBI. Patel appeared on Thompson’s “Our Watch” program broadcast via social media.
Thompson also has interviewed far-right media figure and former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, conservative filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza and Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin, among others.
Staff writers Arianna Clay and Brian Rokos contributed to this report.
Local News
These Southern California restaurants made it into Yelp’s top 100 for 2025

A self-described “order-at-the-counter seafood stand” in South L.A. made it to the top of Yelp’s Top 100 Places to Eat for 2025.
Holbox is located near the entrance of a food hall called Mercado La Paloma in the Figueroa Corridor of Los Angeles. Customers wait for more than an hour to order “some of the freshest seafood around,” according to Yelp.

Eleven other eateries in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties made it onto the list as well. Most are quick service eateries tucked into shopping centers.
It was created by Yelp’s data science team drawing on individual reviews users post on its platform as well as the overall restaurant activity in each business area.
Thirty-seven of the 100 restaurants are in California, reflecting a trend the Yelp researchers spotted toward global cuisine “with Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine rising to the top.”
Here are the Southern California restaurants that made the cut.
No. 1: Holbox
Mercado La Paloma, 3655 S. Grand Ave., C9, Los Angeles; 213-986-9972, holboxla.com; 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday
Holbox is named for an island off the Yucatán Peninsula.
Yelp’s report calls it “a continually rising star among Yelp diners” with more than 1,000 5-star reviews. Dining professionals have also taken notice. Michelin gave Holbox star status in its 2024 California guide last summer and called it “a distinctively Angelino phenomenon.” And its founder Gilberto Cetina is a semifinalist for outstanding chef in the 2025 James Beard Awards.
The Yelp honor is meaningful because it comes from his diners, Cetina wrote in an email.
“We strive to deliver an unforgettable dining experience to both new and returning guests, sharing the rich story of Yucatecan seafood with every dish.”

Popular dishes include Taco de Pulpo en su Tinta, made with octopus from the Yucatan, and Sea Urchin and Scallop Ceviche, made with sea urchins from Santa Barbara, according to Cetina.
He wrote that he thinks of Mercado La Paloma as home.
No. 11: Shlap Muan Wings
2150 E. South St.,105, Long Beach; shlap-muan.com; 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily
The shop’s name means chicken wings in Khmer, the language of Cambodia, according to its website, and that’s basically what it offers. There are 24 flavors, including the “wok-kissed” Dirty Elvis and Tamarind Tiger. The menu also features garlic noodles and fries. Prices are around $11.50-$31.50.
No. 15: Berry Brand
Tustin Crossings, 12932 Newport Ave., Tustin; loveberrybrand.com; 9 a.m.-8 p.m. daily
This is a place to build your own açaí or pitaya bowls with the choice of about two dozen toppings. Yelp reviewers praise the Coconut Dream base
No. 18: West Coast Cheesesteaks
Lone Hill Shopping Center, 1832 B E. Route 66, Glendora; westcoastcheesesteaks.com; 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday
This sandwich shop boasts house-made sauces made with blocks of cheddar cheese and heavy cream. Choices include cheddar, poblano or chipotle. Sandwiches cost about $11.50-$21.50.

No. 23: Sunbliss Café
Sycamore Canyon Plaza, 701 S. Weir Canyon Road, No. 115, Anaheim; sunblisscafe.com; 7 a.m.-6 p.m. daily
This juice bar also serves coffee, açaí bowls, bagels and items such as Japanese Avo Toast.
No. 27: Tai He Ju
10333 Garvey Ave, El Monte; 626-672-0299; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday and Wednesday through Sunday, closed Tuesday
Fried dumplings are a specialty here. Fillings that won praise from Yelp reviewers include beef with vermicelli and chive and egg.
No. 42: Lord Empanada
1540 S Myrtle Ave., Monrovia; lordempanada.com; 9 a.m. Tuesday through Sunday, closed Monday
This restaurant has its roots in Argentina and serves many kinds of empanadas, from meat-filled to vegan, as well as house-made chimichurri. Prices are around $3.95 each.
No. 45: Cardelli’s Italian Market Deli & Catering
De Anza Plaza, 7786 Limonite Ave., Riverside; cardellisdeli.com; 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday through Friday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, closed Sunday
Yelp reviewers praise sandwiches such as hot pastrami, meatball and the Sgobba, which is Black Forest ham, pepperoni, Parmesan and provolone cheese on toasted garlic bread. Prices are in the $10 range. Desserts include cannoli, spumoni and tiramisu.
No. 48: North Shore Plate Lunch
2429 Hamner Ave., Norco; 951-444-6774; 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday, closed Monday
This is a Hawaiian barbecue place with such favorites as chicken katsu, loco moco, kalua pork and mac salads.
No. 64: Daddy Ji
201 N. Indian Hill Blvd., suite A100, Claremont; orderdaddyji.com; 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, closed Monday
This Claremont Village restaurant boasts Indian street food such as tandoori chicken, tikka masala, samosas and mango lassi.

No. 70: La Copine
848 Old Woman Springs Road, Yucca Valley; lacopinekitchen.com; 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday
This restaurant near Joshua Tree serves seasonal menus made with farm-fresh, sustainable ingredients. Yelp reviewers praise the fried chicken.

No. 91: Heritage Barbecue
31721 Camino Capistrano San Juan Capistrano; heritagecraftbbq.com; 11 a..m.-6 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, closed Monday and Tuesday
This Texas-style barbecue is in growth mode and has a growing reputation in Southern California. Its owners are moving a 19th century barn to its premises. Yelp users praise the spare ribs.
San Diego County
Nine San Diego County restaurants made Yelp’s list. They incluce Phonomenal, National City (No. 4); Beyer Deli, San Diego (No. 14); Shawarma Guys, La Mesa (No. 26); GONZO! Ramen, Carlsbad (No. 31); Big Jims Roast Beef, San Diego (No. 33); Baba Kabob, San Diego (No. 37); Rosemarie’s, San Diego (No. 46); Chuyz Taco Shop, San Diego (No. 64); Single Fin Surf Grill, San Diego (No. 84).
Local News
USC shakes off injury, illness to blow out Penn State

LOS ANGELES — They returned home from an East Coast slump bruised, and limping, and sick. Really sick. Just a few hours before a critical Tuesday night matchup with Big Ten basement-dweller Penn State, USC’s Wesley Yates III and Chibuzo Agbo Jr. were both listed as questionable, both guards having missed practices since the return from a loss to Purdue on Friday. So, too, was point guard Desmond Claude, his knee still yelping from a collision against Michigan State in early February.
Suddenly, USC faced the possibility of playing without its top three scorers in a game it simply couldn’t afford to lose.
There was a world, on Tuesday, in which Claude or Yates or Agbo might not have played, or faced a minutes restriction. This was not Eric Musselman’s world. For years, the USC coach has belonged to the Tom Thibodeau School of Heavy Minutes. And for years, dating to Arkansas and Nevada, Musselman had followed his late father Bill’s teachings: when in a tough spot, play your toughest guys.
Yates got smacked in the face in the first half, snatching a towel to cover his nose and heading straight for the locker room for minutes. Claude wrapped a bulky black brace around his right knee in rare stretches on the bench. But Musselman’s guys were plenty tough, on Tuesday, as USC’s offense looked as healthy as it had all season in a 92-67 blowout of Penn State.
Claude played 36 of 40 minutes, finishing with a brutal eight turnovers but sparking USC’s attack all night with 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting. Yates played 36, himself, never coming off the court outside of that first-half blow and finishing with 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting. Agbo went nuclear, in a flu game to be remembered, teeing off from the corners with 21 points and a career-best seven 3-pointers on a night when the Trojans shot 67% from the field.
And USC (14-10 overall, 6-7 Big Ten) reset its course after a tough road trip, pouncing on the last-place Nittany Lions and living to see another possible day come March.
For a week, USC had been dealt a curveball with Claude’s injury, initially not serious enough to keep him from playing an entire second half against Michigan State but scratching him from losses to Northwestern and Purdue. And Musselman’s offense, flickering like a half-broken string of Christmas lights without Claude to initiate, got an immediate first-half jolt with the point guard’s return.
The knee looked plenty fine, on a Euro-step a couple of minutes in, Claude darting around a big to flip up an and-one layup. The knee looked plenty fine, too, on a shot-clock-beating 3-pointer a couple of minutes later, dodging a defender’s contest and letting fly. Penn State hounded Claude for much of the first half, throwing a full-court trap at him in an effort to slow momentum; he committed three turnovers, but finished 4 for 4 from the field for 10 first-half points, including one pretty step-through reverse a minute before the break.
“When he’s really aggressive offensively,” Musselman said after USC’s victory over Michigan State, “we’re really good.”
Really good couldn’t even begin to encapsulate what took place in the second half on Tuesday, Claude’s slash-and-dash momentum suddenly caving the floor in on Penn State (13-12, 3-11). For 11 minutes, the Trojans didn’t miss a single shot from the floor. Agbo, a senior and the streakiest of shooters, busted a six-game slump with an early-second-half 3-pointer that doinked off the front of the rim and dropped home. It was a nod from the basketball gods, and a harbinger of the onslaught to come.
He hit three more, within the span of four minutes, the floor suddenly wide-open off of drives from Claude and wing Saint Thomas. Yates added a nasty step-back 3-pointer, flashing a youthful grin on his way back down the floor. Center Josh Cohen, tabbed again as a starter after losing the job to backup Rashaun Agee, played his most minutes (21) since Jan. 4 in holding Penn State’s 6-foot-10 Yanic Konan Niederhauser, the team’s second-leading scorer, to one point and one rebound.
Midway through the second half, USC’s attack had morphed from banged-up bludgeon to buzzsaw, ruthless in its precision. On one inbound, Claude broke a trap to find Yates, who touch-tapped to a streaking Thomas, who tic-tac-toed right back to Yates, who dashed down the lane to find a cutting Cohen for a layup on a play that would have made James Naismith smile somewhere.
Agbo banged home a few more 3-pointers, and USC walked away from the Galen Center with a banner offensive performance.
More to come on this story.
Local News
UCLA’s 7-game win streak ends as rally falls short against Illinois

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The UCLA men’s basketball team staged a furious rally in the final minutes but could not complete the comeback and saw its seven-game winning streak come to an end.
Kasparas Jakucionis scored 24 points and Tomislav Ivisic scored 16 points as Illinois held off UCLA, 83-78, on Tuesday night. Kylan Boswell scored all 11 of his points in the second half and reserve Will Riley added 10 for Illinois (17-8, 9-6 Big Ten), which shot 51% from the field (27 for 53) and outrebounded the Bruins 36-23.
Tyler Bilodeau made seven 3-point shots and scored 25 points to lead UCLA (18-7, 9-5). Kobe Johnson scored 14 despite foul trouble and reserve Sebastian Mack added 11 points, six rebounds and five assists. Dylan Andrews had nine points and a team-high seven assists. Skyy Clark also had nine points.
Ben Humrichous made one of two free throws to give Illinois an 81-78 lead with seven seconds left. He missed the second shot, and off the carom, Ivisic deflected the miss which ended up in the hands of Boswell. Forced to foul, UCLA sent Boswell to the line where he made a pair with 4.2 seconds left to secure the win.
Jakucionis, who also grabbed a team-best eight rebounds, made an improbable step-back shot just inside the 3-point arc for a 78-73 Illinois advantage with 38 seconds left. Former Illinois guard Skyy Clark, who was heckled for much of the night, answered with a 3-pointer 10 seconds later to get UCLA within two points for the first time since the opening three minutes.
Illinois cracked UCLA’s full-court pressure to get Ivisic an uncontested dunk with 17 seconds left, but Mack made a pair of free throws to get UCLA within 80-78 with 11 seconds remaining. That set up the final moments at the free-throw line.
Illinois opened a 26-13 first-half lead that forced UCLA to burn two timeouts to figure things out. Bilodeau swished two 3-pointers to fuel a 12-3 run over the final 5:20 of the first half that pulled the Bruins within 31-25 at the break.
Every time Illinois tried to pull away in the second half, UCLA worked its way back into the game.
Six minutes into the second half, UCLA pulled within 45-40 on Mack’s circus-shot layup over the 7-foot-2 Ivisic while getting knocked to the floor. Mack missed the subsequent free throw, then was called for fouling Ivisic on what UCLA believed to be a clean steal.
Illinois answered with Morez Johnson Jr.’s putback dunk after he discarded slender Aday Mara in the paint. Then UCLA coach Mick Cronin, irked over the Mack call and the Mara non-call, was whistled for a technical as the teams headed up the court. Boswell made the technical free throws to boost Illinois’ lead to 49-40.
After Bilodeau made his fifth 3-pointer to get UCLA within 58-51, Ivisic answered with back-to-back 3-pointers and Jakucionis slashed for a layup to push Illinois’ lead to 66-51 with 7:34 left.
Illinois seized a 76-60 advantage on Ben Humrichous’ 3-pointer with 4:51 to go, before UCLA reeled off its 13 consecutive points. Johnson hit two 3-pointers during the run and William Kyle III’s dunk with 1:08 left got the Bruins within 76-73.
That’s when Jakucionis and Clark traded big baskets to set up the final moments.
Illinois leads the nation with a +11.3 rebounding margin.
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UCLA travels to face Indiana on Friday at 5 p.m. PT.
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