LODI, Calif. — A California man is accused of turning his family's vineyard in Lodi into a training camp to engage in "civil disorders" after Pasadena police found guns in his car after he tried to run over protesters, according to the United States Attorney's Office.
Benjamin Jong Ren Hung, 28, has been charged with conspiracy to transport firearms across state lines and for lying about how he acquired those guns.
Pasadena police arrested Hung on May 31, 2020, after he intentionally drove his pickup truck through a crowd of protesters, according to an affidavit. No one was hurt in the incident because the crowd dispersed in time.
Police said they found a loaded semiautomatic handgun, multiple high-capacity magazines loaded with ammunition, an 18-inch machete, a long metal pipe, a megaphone and $3,200 in cash. Hung allegedly received the gun from a friend, who bought it for him in Oregon then brought it into California. The friend allegedly lied, saying he was the new owner of the firearm.
Both men then conspired to bring the gun back to California, where Hung kept at his San Marino home before bringing it to the protest. The court also alleges Hung collected additional "firearms and tactical equipment from suppliers throughout the United States and used his family’s vineyard in Lodi, California as a training camp to prepare to engage in civil disorders."
Hung could face up to five years in federal prison if he is convicted. His arraignment is scheduled for Oct. 13.