Two U.S. Forest Service employees who were taken hostage by two armed individuals in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest in northern California have been released safely, officials said, after a standoff that stretched on for the better part of a day before ending without anyone being harmed. The two suspects surrendered and were taken into custody, bringing a tense hostage situation in a remote stretch of forest to a peaceful close.
The ordeal began on July 16, when the two Forest Service workers, described as biologists, were conducting field work on the Shasta-Trinity Forest. Officials said the pair were taken hostage by two armed individuals during the course of that work, turning a routine day in the field into a life-threatening crisis deep in the northern California wilderness near Redding.
The response drew in the full weight of federal law enforcement. According to FBI Director Cash Patel, FBI Sacramento arrived on scene with its crisis negotiators, a SWAT team and an evidence response team, and the bureau also carried out a tactical deployment of its hostage rescue team from Quantico, the elite unit reserved for the most serious standoffs.
What followed was a lengthy effort to talk the situation down rather than force it. After nearly 10 hours of negotiations, authorities said, the hostages were released safely. The Siskiyou County sheriff said negotiations with the older suspect began at about 4:20, and that at roughly 1:50 a.m. the two Forest Service employees were released, ending an overnight standoff that had kept negotiators working through the night.
With the hostages out of danger, the two captors gave themselves up. Officials identified the subjects as Joseph Henriksen and his son Phoenix Henriksen, who had been holed up in a trailer. The sheriff said that at around 2:30 a.m., following the release of the hostages, authorities were able to get the elder Henriksen to come out of the trailer, and his son Phoenix followed. Both surrendered and were immediately taken into custody, allowing the operation to conclude without the violence that such confrontations can so easily produce.
Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz, who briefed reporters on the outcome, said the agency was very relieved and grateful that its two employees had been released safely. He called it a frightening experience for everyone involved, from the employees and their families to their co-workers, and said their well-being remained the agency's highest priority as they recovered from what they had been through.
Other officials echoed that relief. USDA Secretary Rollins, in a statement read on her behalf, said she was incredibly relieved that the two Forest Service employees were safe and back with their families, and praised the skill and resolve of the FBI, the sheriff's office and everyone who responded. Siskiyou County Sheriff Jeremiah LaRue was also among those who addressed the successful resolution.