U.S. Forest Service Employees Captive at Gunpoint for 15 Hours

Two employees of the U.S. Forest Service experienced a harrowing ordeal, being held at gunpoint for 15 hours within a national forest in Northern California.

This terrifying incident unfolded on Thursday at the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. Authorities received an alert around 11 AM when a Forest Service law enforcement officer contacted the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office. The officer reported that the two employees—whose names have not been disclosed—were zip-tied and held inside a trailer at gunpoint, as stated by Siskiyou County Sheriff Jeremiah LaRue.

In response, over two dozen law enforcement officers rushed to the scene. This group included a SWAT team, snipers, hostage negotiators, bomb experts, and other specialized personnel. By 1 PM, deputies had located the trailer using drones in a densely forested campground area near Gumboot Lake.

Drones captured footage of one of the suspects armed with an assault weapon, moving in and out of the trailer as the situation developed.

Negotiations with the suspects, identified as Joseph Charles Henrichsen, 49, and his son, Phoenix Henrichsen, 23, began around 4:20 PM. During a phone call, one of the suspects threatened to use “live rounds” against anyone who attempted to intervene in the hostage crisis. Law enforcement officials reported that the suspects were in possession of an AR-15 rifle, knives, and grenades inside the trailer.

At approximately 1:50 AM on Friday, the suspects finally released the two Forest Service employees and subsequently surrendered less than an hour later. They were taken into custody and now face federal charges for kidnapping government personnel. If convicted, they could face life imprisonment along with a fine of $250,000.

The suspects are believed to have deliberately targeted the park employees due to their status as government workers.