The U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of California, announced that an 18-year-old man from La Jolla has pleaded guilty to harassing a sea lion in a viral video last month. A press release named Tyler Muehl, saying he violated the Marine Mammal Protection Act when he was filmed repeatedly kicking at a California sea lion.
Muehl admitted to kicking the animal on the evening of July 22, 2026. The video showed him approaching a sea lion in La Jolla Cove and squaring up as if he wanted to fight it, and making a reference to MMA fighter Max Holloway, who had just headlined UFC 329 against Conor McGregor days before. According to the press release, Muehl’s plea acknowledged that the viral video of the encounter was a fair representation of what had happened — he kicked at the sea lion’s face twice, forcing it to flinch and scurry away, then chasing the animal and kicking two more times before it was able to flea into the water.
“Federal crime. Federal consequences,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon.
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“National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement takes all violations of the Marine Mammal Protection Act very seriously,” said NOAA-Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement West Coast Division Assistant Director Eric Morgan. NOAA began its investigation of the incident on July 24, once the video went viral. “Intentionally striking or kicking a marine mammal is not only illegal — it is dangerous for the well-being of the animal.”
Muehl is now scheduled to be sentenced on the morning of October 20, 2026, for a misdemeanor violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act – Title 16, U.S.C., Sections 1372(a)(2)(A) and 1375(b). The misdemeanor classification doesn’t mean a light penalty is coming, however, as the office still says the maximum penalty for his offense is up to one year in prison and a $100,000 fine.
