A high-speed getaway attempt and a reach for the waistband are said to have prompted police SWAT team members to open fire on a group of leaders of the Oregon armed occupiers.
A law enforcement official described the dramatic showdown that occurred Tuesday night on a desolate stretch of U.S. 395, some distance away from the federal wildlife refuge where the group took over federal buildings nearly a month ago.
FBI and Oregon State Police at a command center in Burns were monitoring the group when they departed the refuge to attend a town hall meeting with local residents in the town of John Day.
Ammon Bundy tells colleagues to go home
For days, they watched as members of the group came and went freely from the refuge. Some went home on weekends. Ammon Bundy, the group's leader, visited family near Boise, Idaho.
"They got quite comfortable coming and going. This was a 'standoff-lite,'" said one official who was monitoring the events as they went down.
Tuesday was the first time that the combination of top leaders was all together traveling away from their base at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, the official said.
The FBI and state police teams knew the route they were going to take. They picked a spot away from populated areas to attempt a traffic stop. One vehicle stopped on command from authorities. The second, allegedly driven by LaVoy Finicum, took off at high speed, attempting to get away.
A law enforcement official described the dramatic showdown that occurred Tuesday night on a desolate stretch of U.S. 395, some distance away from the federal wildlife refuge where the group took over federal buildings nearly a month ago.
FBI and Oregon State Police at a command center in Burns were monitoring the group when they departed the refuge to attend a town hall meeting with local residents in the town of John Day.
Ammon Bundy tells colleagues to go home
For days, they watched as members of the group came and went freely from the refuge. Some went home on weekends. Ammon Bundy, the group's leader, visited family near Boise, Idaho.
"They got quite comfortable coming and going. This was a 'standoff-lite,'" said one official who was monitoring the events as they went down.
Tuesday was the first time that the combination of top leaders was all together traveling away from their base at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, the official said.
The FBI and state police teams knew the route they were going to take. They picked a spot away from populated areas to attempt a traffic stop. One vehicle stopped on command from authorities. The second, allegedly driven by LaVoy Finicum, took off at high speed, attempting to get away.
This Content was originally posted on: Evan Perez
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