FatCamera/iStockBY: CHRISTINA CARREGA, ABC NEWS
(SEATTLE) — A family of four trying to enjoy a day of camping on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state cut their trip short when several people allegedly armed with rifles accused the family of having ties to anitfa, said police.
The Spokane family, which officials described as multi-racial, called police on Wednesday evening when they were left stranded after “someone” placed trees across a roadway and prevented them from leaving the campgrounds.
Earlier in the day, the husband and wife along with their 16-year-old daughter and the husband’s mother, went to a store to buy camping supplies when they were confronted in the parking lot by up to eight cars loaded with people, police said.
“The people in the parking lot repeatedly asked them if they were ‘ANTIFA’ protesters. The family told the people they weren’t associated with any such group and were just camping,” the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release Friday.
Antifa, which is short for “anti-fascist,” is not a structured organization, but supporters of the ideology have been accused of showing up at peaceful protests and instigating violence.
The family left the parking lot and headed to the camp site as “at least four vehicles followed them. Two of the vehicles had people in them and carrying what appeared to be semi-automatic rifles,” police said.
At some point, the family “became concerned for their safety after hearing gun shots in the distance and power saws down the road from where they were camping,” police said.
As the family left on the same road they entered the camping site, they were stopped by the fallen trees and called police.
A group of high school students helped clear the trees from the road for the family to get through, police said.
The Clallam County Sheriff’s Office is actively conducting a criminal investigation into the incident and is seeking any and all information regarding those persons involved.
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