California Militia Plotted Planned For 'War' Against Police

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Court filings reveal that an Air Force sergeant accused of killing two law enforcement officers in California last year was part of a rightwing militia known as the Grizzly Scouts.

The documents show that suspected gunman Steven Carrillo, 32, was not a lone actor but a member of an anti-government group preparing for more deadly attacks.

The Santa Cruz Sentinel reports that the militia held firearms training, scouted out protests, and laid out terms of "war" against police. The filings were submitted in the case against four other alleged Scouts members, including the leader.

They are accused of destroying evidence relevant to last year's killings. Carillo has pleaded not guilty.

Carrillo was a team leader for the Phoenix Ravens at Travis Air Force Base, 50 miles (81 kilometers) northeast of San Francisco, as part of the 60th Security Forces Squadron. The Phoenix Ravens are tasked with protecting aircraft and crews from assaults on airfields "where security is unknown or additional security is needed to counter local threats," according to the Air Force.

Carrillo's wife, Monika Leigh Scott Carrillo, who was also in the Air Force, was found dead in an off-base hotel in May 2018 while she was stationed in South Carolina. She was 30. Her death was ruled a suicide, according to the Air Force.

On June 6, 2020, deputies responded to a 911 call about a suspicious van in Ben Lomond, an unincorporated area near Santa Cruz. The caller said guns and bomb-making devices were inside, Sheriff Jim Hart said.

When deputies arrived, the van pulled away and the deputies followed. The van went down a driveway at a home, and the deputies were ambushed by gunfire and explosives after getting out of their vehicle.

Gutzwiller was wounded and later died at a hospital. Another deputy was wounded by gunfire or shrapnel and struck by the van as the suspect fled, authorities said. A third officer from the California Highway Patrol was shot in the hand, Hart said.

Carrillo then attempted a carjacking and was shot during his arrest, Hart said. He was being treated at a hospital but expected to survive. The injured deputy was listed in stable condition Sunday.

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