Joseph Charles Henrichsen and his son surrendered after holding two federal employees hostage in California's Shasta-Trinity National Forest.
Joseph Charles Henrichsen and his son, Phoenix Henrichsen, were arrested after a 15-hour hostage standoff in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. The two men held two U.S. Forest Service employees at gunpoint inside a trailer near Gumboot Lake on Thursday, July 16. The employees, who were performing routine seasonal fieldwork, were zip-tied and remained unharmed throughout the incident. The standoff began around 11 a.m. when law enforcement received reports of the kidnapping. A massive multi-agency response followed, featuring the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team from Virginia, local SWAT teams, and drones. Negotiations commenced at 4:20 p.m. and continued through the night. The hostages were released in the early morning hours of Friday, July 17, followed by the surrender of the suspects at 2:30 a.m. U.S. Attorney Eric Grant stated that both Joseph Charles Henrichsen and Phoenix Henrichsen will face federal charges for kidnapping a federal employee. While the specific motives for the kidnapping remain under investigation, officials confirmed that the employees were released safely without serious injury.