Two Forest Service employees rescued after 15-hour hostage standoff in California
A nearly 15-hour kidnapping of two U.S. Forest Service workers in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest ended early Friday with both hostages released and two suspects arrested.
Two U.S. Forest Service employees were taken at gunpoint and zip-tied inside a privately owned trailer near Gumboot Lake in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest on Thursday. The incident was reported to the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office at about 10:55 a.m., prompting a multi-agency response that included the FBI, state and local law-enforcement, the California Highway Patrol and the U.S. Forest Service.
Negotiators began talks around 4:20 p.m., and the first employee was freed at approximately 1:35 a.m. on Friday, followed by the second hostaget fifteen minutes later. Both workers were examined and released without injuries.
"Crisis situations like this don’t often result in everyone leaving the scene safely," said FBI Sacramento acting Special Agent in Charge Brian Tosh.
Around 2:30 a.m., suspects Joseph Charles Henrichsen, 49, and his adult son Phoenix Henrichsen surrendered. Joseph Henrichsen was found carrying an AR-15-style rifle, knives and claimed to have grenades. Both men face federal kidnapping charges, according to U.S. Attorney Eric Grant.
The operation involved more than 30 personnel from Shasta County, including SWAT, sniper, negotiator and bomb-squad teams, as well as a Hostage Rescue Team flown from Quantico, Virginia. Drones were deployed to locate the trailer, and a perimeter was established around the remote site.
Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz said the agency will not disclose the identities or ages of the employees without consent and emphasized that their well-being remains a priority. The area around Gumboot Lake remains closed to the public pending further investigation.