The month-long standoff at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge may be over. The Bundy brothers, the ringleaders of the thugs occupying the refuge were arrested after a standoff on Tuesday afternoon, and are now in custody.
Late Tuesday afternoon one of the thugs’ spokesmen, Pete Santilli, took to Facebook to report that several of the thugs got into a confrontation with FBI agents on a road near the refuge.
The (Portland) Oregonian later got a clip of Santilli live-streaming from the hospital parking lot. He claimed that two men had been shot.
It later emerged that the FBI and Oregon State Police stopped a car as part of an “enforcement action” at the refuge. In the ensuing gun battle, thug-in-chief Ryan Bundy suffered a minor gunshot wound, while another militiaman was killed. The standoff closed U. S. 395 for 56 miles between Burns and John Day, causing major traffic jams throughout the area.
When the smoke cleared, Ryan Bundy and his brother Ammon were taken into custody along with three of their cronies on charges of conspiracy to impede federal officers via intimidation, force, or threats. Later in the day, the state police arrested a sixth thug in Burns. All six men now in custody were charged with conspiracy to impede federal officers via force, intimidation or threats.
For now, they face up to six years in prison if convicted. However, it’s a near-certainty that more charges are in the offing. Earlier this month, Harney County sheriff David Ward gave the thugs a warning from the FBI–if and when the standoff ends, they will face federal charges.
The apparent end of this standoff undoubtedly comes as a relief to the people of this mostly rural county, which had essentially been ground to a halt for much of January. For those who don’t recall, the prospect of armed men so close to town forced dozens of businesses to close, as well as the local courthouse. The schools were forced to extend winter break for a week. Now let’s hope the other thugs have the decency to cut their losses and go home.
