Overview
- Eighteen-year-old Tyler Muehl admitted in a federal plea agreement that he repeatedly kicked a California sea lion at La Jolla Cove and that the video of the attack accurately captured his actions.
- Prosecutors say Muehl kicked the animal four times, chased it as it fled and stopped only when the sea lion reached the beach.
- The attack was recorded and posted on Snapchat and Instagram, which led NOAA Fisheries to open an investigation and to federal charges.
- Muehl pleaded guilty on August 13, 2026 to a misdemeanor under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and faces a maximum of one year in jail and a $100,000 fine at a sentencing hearing set for Oct. 20, 2026.
- The case highlights how viral social-media evidence can trigger federal enforcement under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which bars harassment of protected marine mammals and is enforced by NOAA Fisheries with support from federal and state partners.