Multiracial family accused of being part of Antifa cornered at campground, WA cops say
A family of four traveled across Washington to go camping in Forks — but their journey soon took a terrifying turn when a mob of people accused them of being part of the group Antifa, and followed them to their campsite, the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office said.
The family traveled from Spokane to Forks on Wednesday to go camping and before heading to the campsite, they stopped at Forks Outfitters to buy gear, according to a Facebook post on the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office’s page. While they were stopped, seven or eight carloads of people confronted the multiracial family, repeatedly asking them if they were Antifa protesters, the sheriff’s office said.
The family told them they had no association with such a group and were there to camp, according to the sheriff’s office. The family left the parking lot and drove their full-sized school bus north, when they noticed at least four cars following them, the sheriff’s office said.
Two cars following the family appeared to have people armed with semi-automatic rifles inside, the family told the sheriff’s office. The family stopped and pitched a tent to camp for the night and later heard gunshots and power saws in the distance, according to the sheriff’s office.
Concerned for their safety, the family started packing up to leave but as they drove down the road, they found they were trapped by fallen trees, the sheriff’s office said. Four Forks High School students saw the family and helped them by using chainsaws to clear the road and called the police, according to the sheriff’s office.
Clallam County deputies and officers from the La Push Police Department escorted the family to the Sheriff’s Forks Detachment and interviewed them about what happened, the sheriff’s office said. After leaving the detachment under police escort, the family’s bus broke down and officers had to help them get it started again, according to the sheriff’s office.
Now the sheriff’s office is investigating the incident and looking for any information about the people who were involved.
