Facebook reviews groups associated with Boogaloo movement in response to shootings
(KION) Facebook said it will be reviewing groups associated with the Boogaloo movement after learning that the suspects in the deaths of a federal officer in Oakland and Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller in Ben Lomond had posted on Facebook before the attacks, according to the CBS affiliate in the Bay Area.
The FBI linked the suspects in the Oakland shooting, Steven Carrillo and Robert Alvin Justus, Jr., to the Boogaloo movement based on Facebook posts as well as a ballistic vest and writing in blood on the hood of a car.
In a criminal complaint filed Tuesday, the FBI said Carrillo wrote, "It's on our coast now, this needs to be nationwide. It's a great opportunity to target the specialty soup bois," in a Facebook group message the day before the shooting in Oakland.
In the complaint, the FBI said "soup bois" is an apparent reference to federal law enforcement officers. It was allegedly followed by two fire emojis and a video showing a crowd attacking two CHP vehicles.
The complaint said Justus responded by writing "Let's boogie," which the FBI said it believes is an agreement and affirmation of attacks on law enforcement in accordance with Boogaloo ideology.
Facebook removed groups Carrillo and Justus were members of, according to KPIX, and is reviewing other groups associated with the Boogaloo movement. It has also banned the term "boogaloo" and about 50 derivatives when they are with images or statements depicting armed violence, according to CNN Business.
The FBI said in a news conference Tuesday that a ballistic vest and writing in blood on a vehicle also led them to believe Carrillo could be associated with the movement. Both were found while law enforcement was investigating an ambush-style attack on deputies in Ben Lomond that killed Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller.
A patch on the vest showed an image resembling an American flag, but there was an igloo instead of stars and a stripe was replaced by a Hawaiian motif. Officials said the image is associated with the movement.
Before his arrest, the FBI said Carrillo also wrote phrases in his own blood on the hood of a Toyota Camry that he allegedly carjacked. The FBI believes the writing says "boog," "I became unreasonable" and "stop the duopoly."
