A Northern California man has been charged with a felony offense for allegedly posting online videos of himself threatening to kill multiple military personnel at the Fort Irwin Army base in San Bernardino County.
Christian Ernest Beyer, 41, of Petaluma, was charged with interstate threats, a crime that carries a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison, according to a Department of Justice release.
Beyer served in the Army and was formerly stationed at Fort Irwin. He was court martialed in 2021 for assault.
According to the complaint, Beyer posted a YouTube video – using an account in his own name – on Oct. 30 in which he threatened to kill specific military personnel at Fort Irwin.
In one of the videos, Beyer allegedly said, “I had a great…life and I will…die for what I believe in. If you come to…get me and you have a …uniform on, you’re a[n]…enemy and I will not look at you as anything else. I will…fight you ‘til I take you down.”
Beyer allegedly got into an altercation in Mendocino County with a group of elderly individuals after leaving his car in a neighborhood in which he did not live on Oct. 30. According to the DOJ release, he allegedly brandished a knife at one of the elderly people, got in his car, drove away, then turned around and sped towards the group, driving his vehicle approximately 13 feet off the street at them.
Beyer then sped away and drove to a parking lot, where local law enforcement confronted him, according to the affidavit. He allegedly got out of his car and fled, leading to a manhunt that ended with his arrest.
He was arrested Nov. 1 at his father’s Sonoma County residence. Beyer is being held without bond and is expected to be arraigned in the Central District of California in the coming weeks. The FBI is investigating as part of its Los Angeles Joint Terrorism Task Force.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.
