Thompson, Eshoo, Panetta Write to FBI Director Asking for Action to Prevent More Violence by Boogaloo Boys

Washington – Today Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-05), Rep. Anna G. Eshoo (CA-18), and Rep. Jimmy Panetta (CA-20) wrote to FBI Director Chris Wray asking for further action to prevent violence by members of the so-called Boogaloo Boys and a report to Congress on any current or planned investigations into the group. Two recent murders in Northern California have been linked to the group. A copy of the letter is below.

June 22, 2020

Director Christopher A. Wray
Federal Bureau of Investigation
935 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20535-0001

Dear Director Wray:

We write to express our deep concern about recent terrorist attacks carried out by individuals associated with the so-called Boogaloo Movement. Adherents of this radical, far-right ideology—known as Boogaloo Boys—advocate anti-government violence to provoke a Second American Civil War and provide cover for the murder of liberal political opponents. We request the Federal Bureau of Investigation take all lawful actions to prevent these hate-filled individuals from carrying out more attacks. Moreover, we respectfully request you provide Congress a report on current, or planned, investigations into the Boogaloo Boys.

Recently, there were two murders committed in California that possibly are associated with the Boogaloo Boys. On May 29, Steven Carrillo and Robert A. Justus Jr. allegedly perpetrated an attack against Federal Protective Service officers guarding the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building in Oakland, California during Black Lives Matter protests sparked by the death of George Floyd. Mr. Carillo, an active-duty Air Force sergeant, is alleged to have fired an assault rifle out of the sliding door of a white van driven by Mr. Justus at the officers stationed outside—killing officer David Patrick Underwood and seriously wounding another officer. Both men had reportedly shared internet memes associated with the Boogaloo Movement on social media in the past.

On June 6, Mr. Carrillo allegedly ambushed two Santa Cruz County Sheriff's deputies outside his residence with an AR-15 rifle and improvised explosive devices. The deputies were responding to a suspicious vehicle call. Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller was killed in the ensuing shootout and another deputy and California Highway Patrol officer were wounded. Mr. Carrillo, who was also wounded during the shootout, reportedly attempted to flee by hijacking a vehicle before being apprehended.

According to the federal criminal complaint filed against him, Mr. Carrillo had written the words "I became unreasonable," "stop the duopoly," and "Boog" on the outside of the hijacked vehicle in his own blood. The suspicious vehicle that precipitated the ambush, a white van parked in front of Mr. Carrillo's home, contained ammunition, firearms, bomb-making material, a ballistic vest with an igloo patch, and a Hawaiian-print shirt—the latter two of which are symbols associated with the Boogaloo Movement.

Based on the above crimes and their links to the Boogaloo Movement, as well as that group's espousal of anti-government violence, we firmly believe that the Boogaloo Boys pose a serious threat to the safety and security of our nation. Again, we urge you to take all legal and appropriate measures to stop them from perpetrating more violence. Thank you for your consideration of this important matter. We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Congressman Mike Thompson is proud to represent California's 5^th Congressional District, which includes all or part of Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Solano and Sonoma Counties. He is a senior member of the House Committee on Ways and Means where he chairs the Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures. Rep. Thompson is Chairman of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. He is also Co-Chair of the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Wine Caucus and a member of the fiscally-conservative Blue Dog Coalition.