17 Middle Eastern Men Detained In California For Allegedly Chanting Allahu Akbar While Firing 100 Shots At State Park
In a remote California State Park in the Mohave Desert just two hours outside of Los Angeles, 17 men of Middle Eastern descent were detained after concerned campers called 911 to report over 100 shots fired. In the area at Deep Creek Hot Springs in San Bernardino County, a number of men allegedly wearing turbans and chanting “Allahu Akbar” were reported to be firing weapons in the area. Over 100 shots were reportedly fired with guns that sounded “louder than handguns.” Police allegedly took two hours to respond and locate the individuals before detaining 17 men for questioning before ultimately releasing all 17 of them back into the community as all of the weapons, except for one, were registered with the state.
RT reports that Victor Valley Sheriff’s Station received a 911 call from concerned campers who reportedly saw “5 to 7 subjects wearing turbans” firing over 100 shots in the remote state park. The callers expressed concern over the men’s odd behavior and say they heard “chanting” from the men described as Middle Eastern.
Posters on the Deep Creek Springs Forum claim that they were in the area during the time of the incident and heard gunshots along with chanting.
“I heard many gunshots this morning, starting around 8, 8:30.. Sounded like two or three different guns with several dozen rounds fired, perhaps 100, very close to the springs. Word was going around that a group of men were chanting ‘Allah Akbar’ and so forth during the gunfire, and dispersed up either side of the river. Shortly after, a helicopter began circling the area, and there was a bit of commotion. I began the hike up to Bowen ranch around 11:30 or so, during which 3 sheriffs with vests and rifles were questioning hikers coming down the trail. I heard two shots during the course of the hike. When I arrived at the top of the trail, by the parking lot, police had just apprehended 17 men, mostly of apparent Middle Eastern descent as well as one or two Caucasians.”
In response to the incident, the Victor Valley Station reports that Sheriff’s Aviation was called to the scene due to the remote location of the incident.
“Due to this being a very rural location, Sheriff’s Aviation assisted to conduct an area check for the alleged shooters while patrol units from the Victor Valley Station responded. The sheriff’s helicopter arrived and located a group of males, 17 total, walking away from the creek carrying back packs and other items. Deputies from Apple Valley, Hesperia, and Victorville Police Stations also responded to assist.”
The report indicates that the 17 men were all detained while police checked registration on all of the weapons found at the scene along with their vehicles. In all, police discovered multiple handguns, a rifle, and a shotgun but claim that all of the weapons but the rifle were registered with the State of California. Background checks were ran on each of the 17 individuals and none of the men had any criminal history or warrants, so after speaking with the FBI, who also responded to the scene, all 17 men were released.
Deputies respond to the report of shots fired in the Deep Creek Hot Springs area of Apple Valley https://t.co/U5QgPYec7O
— SB County Sheriff (@sbcountysheriff) March 28, 2016
Local news reports confirm that the 17 men were released after police had no probable cause to hold them as “there was no evidence found that a crime had been committed by any of the subjects.” Though the initial report from the Victor Valley Station claimed that no other hikers say or heard the shots being fired, audio from Deep Creek Hot Springs paints a slightly different picture. Listen to the full audio of the call below.
“I am counting about 15 of these guys, all carrying backpacks and bulky items that can be concealing things.”
Shortly after the incident, images allegedly taken at the Deep Creek Hot Springs area of Apple Valley were uploaded to Imgur as the men were detained by the sheriff’s department and FBI.
The sheriff reports that the men were very cooperative throughout the investigation and no wrongdoing was discovered during the course of questioning. All weapons and vehicles, aside from a single rifle, had properly been registered with the state and no men had outstanding warrants or a criminal past. While police have released all of the detained men, anyone with information regarding the investigation is urged to contact Deputy S. Scranton or Sergeant D. Rodriguez at (760)552-6800. Therefore, it seems that the investigation into the incident may still be ongoing.
[Image via Shutterstock]
