Army veteran arrested after allegedly threatening to kill soldiers in California: 'You're an enemy'
An Army veteran allegedly threatened to kill soldiers stationed at Fort Irwin in California in videos posted online, authorities said.
Christian Ernest Beyer, 41, of Petaluma, was charged with interstate threats, a crime that carries a "statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison," the Department of Justice said in a press release last week.
According to the release, Beyer is a Army veteran and was stationed at Fort Irwin, but he was court-martialed in 2021 for assault. An affidavit revealed that Beyer posted a YouTube video in his own name last month in which he threatened to kill specific soldiers at Fort Irwin.
ARMY GAVE THIS OFFICER FALSE CRIMINAL RECORD, STUNTING HIS CAREER. NOW HE’S GETTING BACKPAY
"I had a great…life and I will…die for what I believe in. If you come to…get me and you have a …uniform on, you’re a[n]…enemy and I will not look at you as anything else. I will…fight you ‘til I take you down," Beyer said in the video, according to the Justice Department.
Beyer was arrested Wednesday at his father's residence and charged with a felony offense, the Justice Department said.
The release notes that Beyer has had a violent past in addition to the 2021 assault, including an incident in Mendocino County in October that saw the veteran reportedly threaten a group of elderly people with a knife. In that case, the release notes, Beyer was involved in an altercation with the people after leaving his car in the neighborhood in which he did not live. After brandishing the knife at one of the elderly individuals, Beyer allegedly got in his car and "sped toward the group, driving his vehicle approximately 13 feet off the street at them."
Beyer then sped away to a parking lot and was confronted by local police, leading him to run away. The subsequent manhunt resulted in his arrest, the Justice Department said.
According to the release, the FBI is investigating the case as part of its Los Angeles Joint Terrorism Task Force while Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel H. Weiner of the General Crimes Section is responsible for prosecuting Beyer's case.
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a Fox News request for comment.