An 18-year-old from La Jolla, San Diego, has pleaded guilty to a federal charge after a video of him repeatedly kicking a sea lion went viral. Tyler Muehl admitted in court to striking the protected animal four times — including twice in the face — while it rested on a wall at La Jolla Cove, in violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, a US federal law prohibiting harassment of marine wildlife. He faces up to a year in prison and a $100,000 fine at sentencing, scheduled for 20 October.