CLEVELAND — A Cleveland man accused of planning to make a false distress call and kill any responding officers has been indicted on two counts of attempted kidnapping, according to federal prosecutors.
Christian Stanley Ferguson, 20, made several posts on social media about how he wanted to make a false report about a crime in progress in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park to attract federal law enforcement, investigators have said.
Ferguson planned to kill the officers, steal their weapons and “start an uprising,” according to investigators. He allegedly met with several people to discuss his plan and had practice drills with an AR-15 rifle.
Ferguson also made a false distress call in a national park to gauge how soon park rangers would respond, the FBI has said. Four officers responded to the call, and Ferguson reportedly said that if that many responded to the actual call, they would all be killed.
The FBI monitored Ferguson’s activities and arrested him May 8. He pleaded not guilty at his initial court appearance earlier this month.
It wasn’t known Friday if Ferguson has retained an attorney.
