The identification carries additional significance because another San Diego teenager and his family were subjected to threats, doxxing and widespread online accusations after social media users incorrectly identified him as the attacker.
Nearly three weeks after shocking video of a young man repeatedly kicking a California sea lion at Point La Jolla exploded across social media and prompted a federal wildlife investigation, authorities have identified the person responsible.
Tyler Muehl, an 18-year-old La Jolla resident, pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday, August 13, to violating the Marine Mammal Protection Act after admitting he repeatedly kicked at the resting sea lion, made contact with the animal and chased it as it attempted to escape, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California.
“Federal crime. Federal consequences,” U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon said in announcing the guilty plea.
Federal court records obtained by SanDiegoVille provide another official account of the prosecution. An Information filed August 13 in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California charges Muehl with one misdemeanor count under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Prosecutors allege that on or about July 22, Muehl “did knowingly and unlawfully take a marine mammal” by harassing and hunting, and attempting to harass and hunt, a California sea lion. The case is United States v. Tyler Muehl, No. 26-cr-3151-JLB.
According to Muehl's plea agreement, the incident occurred late in the evening near Ellen Browning Scripps Park, where a California sea lion was peacefully resting atop the seawall. Prosecutors say Muehl approached with his hands raised in a fighting stance and referred to himself as “Max Holloway,” invoking the UFC fighter.
Muehl admitted kicking at the sea lion four separate times and making contact. Prosecutors said he twice forcefully kicked toward the animal's face, causing it to flinch and recoil. After the second kick, the sea lion attempted to flee, but Muehl chased it and kicked at it again. The animal stumbled on the seawall while trying to escape before Muehl kicked at it a fourth time and continued pursuing it until it escaped over the seawall and reached the beach.
Muehl agreed that the viral video fairly and accurately recorded what occurred. The footage apparently originated on Snapchat before being copied to Instagram and other platforms. SanDiegoVille brought widespread attention to the video on July 23 while deliberately declining to identify any of the people being named by social media users because authorities had not confirmed the attacker's identity.
That caution ultimately proved warranted. In the days following publication, internet users launched their own effort to identify the attacker, circulating names, photographs, relatives, businesses and purported home addresses. One person became particularly widely accused: 18-year-old Ryland Cuttitta. Cuttitta was not the person who attacked the sea lion.
Cuttitta and his mother subsequently told NBC 7 that the teenager became a target after posting what he described as a sarcastic Instagram comment calling the incident “clearly self defense.” According to his family, their address was posted online and they received abusive messages and violent threats as accusations spread.
“My name is Ryland Cuttitta, and I was not part of the video,” Cuttitta told NBC 7. “I was not even there or associated with it in any way. It all came from an Instagram comment.”
Federal prosecutors have now identified the culprit, and Muehl has admitted responsibility. Muehl is the son of two established San Diego professionals. His father, Dr. Jeffrey L. Muehl, is a San Diego dentist whose practice is listed by the American Dental Association, while his mother, Caroline Buck, is a longtime deputy district attorney with the San Diego County District Attorney's Office, now listed as retired according to her professional profile. There is no indication that either parent's profession played any role in the incident, investigation or prosecution, which is a federal case handled by the U.S. Attorney's Office and investigated by NOAA. SanDiegoVille contacted both parents seeking comment and offering the family an opportunity to provide additional context regarding the incident and Muehl's guilty plea.
“Intentionally striking or kicking a marine mammal is not only illegal—it is dangerous for the well-being of the animal,” NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement West Coast Division Assistant Director Eric Morgan said.
Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, “take” includes harassment and pursuit with the potential to injure a marine mammal or disrupt behaviors including migration, breathing, nursing, breeding, feeding or sheltering.
Muehl's misdemeanor conviction carries a maximum penalty of one year in federal prison and a $100,000 fine. He is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. Magistrate Judge Jill L. Burkhardt on October 20 at 9:30am.
The prosecution also arrives amid a broader battle over human interaction with marine mammals along La Jolla's coastline. Point La Jolla has become one of San Diego's most popular wildlife-viewing destinations, while advocates have spent years documenting visitors approaching, chasing, touching and otherwise disturbing protected animals and pushing for stronger surveillance and enforcement.
This incident went considerably further. According to his own admissions, Muehl approached a resting wild animal as though preparing to fight it, repeatedly kicked at it and then pursued it when it attempted to escape.
For Muehl, the next chapter comes at sentencing in October. For the teenager falsely accused online, the federal prosecution provides definitive vindication. And for an attack that horrified San Diego and millions who encountered the footage online, speculation has finally been replaced by an admission of guilt.
The case was investigated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily Allen and Elizabet Brown.
Originally published on August 13, 2026.
