'Something big': Feds reveal how relatives of suspects in foiled White House UFC plot saw warning signs
Family members of two men charged in an alleged plot to attack the White House UFC event last weekend saw warning signs before authorities foiled the plot, including a mother who alerted police days before the plan was supposed to take place to her son's concerning online communications and an unusually large stockpile of weapons he recently obtained.
Bryan Omar Roa, 24, of Calimesa, California, allegedly told a family member that one day they would wake up and he would be gone, and that he intended to travel to Washington, D.C., where "something big" would happen, according to a federal complaint filed in the Central District of California.
On June 10, just days before the controversial event at the White House, that family member woke up and found that Roa, an amateur mixed martial arts fighter himself, had left, according to the complaint. Roa’s relatives considered reporting him after he left but did not contact police before he returned home, the complaint notes.
Meanwhile, on the same day Roa disappeared from his family, law enforcement officers in Ohio were dispatched to the home of Tycen Proper, after his mother reported concerns about his recent firearms purchases and online communications, according to a separate federal complaint. Law enforcement made contact with Proper, who was transported to a local hospital due to homicidal ideations, prosecutors said.
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Fox News Digital reached out to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Cincinnati and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Ohio, where Proper's case is playing out, to inquire whether the call to law enforcement from Proper’s mother was at all a factor in the investigation, or in preventing the alleged plot from coming to fruition. Both declined to comment, citing the ongoing nature of the investigation.
Fox News Digital reached out to the FBI's Los Angeles office as well with similar questions about Roa, but officials cited similar constraints. However, a spokesperson did confirm that their investigation "is very much ongoing."
Multiple family members told law enforcement that Roa had been planning a trip to Washington, D.C., and believed he intended to commit an act of violence during the trip because of his increased time spent shooting weapons and a noticeable change in behavior, including increased anxiety, irritation and seclusion, according to the complaint from the Central District of California. Federal investigators also said Roa’s family members told law enforcement that, within the last three months, he had begun spending more time with a new group of online friends.
Other relatives told investigators that Roa became "extremely agitated" when he experienced mechanical difficulties with his vehicle during the week of June 9, something that ultimately forced Roa to head back home after attempting to drive to the nation's capital, according to the complaint. Roa’s family considered reporting him to police after he left but did not do so before he returned home, investigators said.
Roa later told law enforcement that he had planned to attend UFC Freedom 250 as a protester, but that his vehicle malfunctioned and he had to return home, according to the complaint. Federal investigators said traffic cameras showed Roa’s registered vehicle in Barstow, California, on June 11.
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In Ohio, law enforcement officers were dispatched to a residence in Danville on June 10 after Tycen Proper’s mother reported concerns about her son’s recent conduct, including firearms purchases and communications with concerning people online, according to the complaint.
A family member told deputies that Proper, 19, had recently met random people online and had been planning "recons" with them, according to the complaint. The family member said Proper planned to leave the weekend of June 13 to meet the online contacts and had recently acquired camping gear, food, ballistic plates, a new shotgun, a rifle, "lots" of ammunition, extra magazines and plate carriers.
Proper allegedly spent about $3,000 of his graduation money on the equipment, according to the complaint. The family member also told authorities that Proper had recently quit his job in preparation to meet the online contacts to conduct "missions" and "recons."
The Ohio encounter helped draw the FBI into the case the next day, according to the California complaint. The Knox County Sheriff’s Office contacted the FBI on June 11 as a result of its interactions with Proper, and federal investigators interviewed him later that day at a mental health center in Columbus, the complaint says.
Authorities later photographed equipment acquired by Proper, including several boxes of ammunition, two plate carriers with AR-style magazines, and rifles painted with an American flag, according to the complaint. The equipment was voluntarily turned over to law enforcement by the family.
Federal complaints allege Roa, Proper and three others planned to use drones laden with explosives near the north side of the White House UFC event to create panic and force attendees and "high value targets" to evacuate south, where snipers and additional shooters would be positioned to fire on members of the crowd as they fled. Investigators also alleged the group discussed tiered roles for participants, including shooters, drone operators, getaway drivers, logistics support, funders and social media influencers.
The Justice Department announced Tuesday that Proper; Roa; Michael Alan Thomas, 32, of Pinon Hills, California; Daniel K. Eskridge, 32, of Kidder, Missouri; and Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez, 31, of Omaha, Nebraska, were charged in connection with an alleged plot targeting U.S. officials and others attending the UFC Freedom 250 fight held at the White House last Sunday.
The complaint says the alleged conspirators communicated through encrypted messaging apps, and discussed tactical plans, role assignments, escape routes and potential targets.
Roa and Thomas were charged in the Central District of California with conspiracy to commit murder. Proper was charged in the Southern District of Ohio with conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States, attempted murder of a U.S. officer or employee, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and receipt or transfer of a firearm used to commit a felony. Eskridge was charged in the Western District of Missouri with conspiracy to commit murder, while Alvarez was charged in Nebraska with conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States and conspiracy to murder, according to court documents.
A criminal complaint contains allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Justice Department, but the agency also declined to comment, citing the ongoing nature of the case.