Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced on Tuesday that at least 30 people have been charged with various crimes in connection with recent protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Hochman said that while hundreds have been arrested in the city of Los Angeles for curfew violations and failure to disperse orders since the onset of the protests, others face more serious charges such as assault on a peace officer and felony arson and vandalism.

"In the District Attorney's Office, we have either filed or are in the process of filing 30 charges -- and you heard the U.S. Attorney's Office has an additional 20 charges," he said. "We will try to find the appropriate charge for the crime committed."

U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli and California Highway Patrol Southern Division Chief Chris Margaris joined Tuesday's news conference, commenting on efforts to identify, arrest, and charge those who committed crimes during the protests.

"There is a clear and distinct line between lawful expression and unlawful conduct. Our job as prosecutors is to ensure those who engage in violence and destruction are held accountable for their actions," Hochman said.

Essayli said his office is focused on "organizers, funders and supporters of this violence."

"A lot of people we are arresting, are not from this area. So, there is a bigger story here, and I think that will come out over time," he said, noting that the IRS is involved in the investigation.

Five cases were highlighted by the district attorney during Tuesday's news conference:

• A man is accused of throwing a large rock at a CHP vehicle from an overpass on the 101 Freeway on June 8. He also allegedly lit an object on fire and threw it onto a CHP SUV that was parked on the freeway and the vehicle caught fire. The 39-year-old is charged with four felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer and one felony count each of arson and vandalism. If convicted as charged, he faces up to nine years and eight months in state prison.
• A 24-year-old man is charged with two felony counts each of assault upon a peace officer and use of a destructive device to injure or destroy during a June 8 protest. The man is accused of throwing fireworks at officers that he had in a backpack. If convicted as charged, he faces up to eight years and eight months in prison.
• On June 11, a man was detained in downtown L.A. for violating a curfew order. He allegedly had a loaded firearm with 15 rounds in the magazine. The 31-year-old is charged with one felony count of possession of a firearm by a felon and one misdemeanor count of giving or receiving a large-capacity magazine.  If convicted as charged, he faces up to six years and six months in prison.
• A 45-year-old man has been charged with one felony count of discharge of a laser at an aircraft. On June 12, he was in the area of a protest in San Pedro when he allegedly pointed a green laser at an LAPD helicopter several times. If convicted as charged, he faces up to three years in prison.
• A 39-year-old man has been charged with one felony count of second-degree commercial burglary for looting an Apple Store in downtown Los Angeles. If convicted as charged, he faces up to six years in prison.

Essayli noted that a man who spit on a military serviceman and a law enforcement officer during the protests is charged with assaulting a federal agent and faces a maximum sentence of eight years in prison.

Investigators continue to comb through social media posts and other videos taken to identify criminals. "Law enforcement is going to get this evidence, and when they get this evidence, they are going to find these people behind these masks, behind these coverings who thought they could go ahead and commit these crimes with impunity. Now they are going to realize something different," Hochman said.