American Patriot

>> NARRATOR: Tonight... >> I'm asking you to follow me.

And we're going to make a hard stand.

>> NARRATOR: How one family's fight... >> The issue the Bundy family started more than 20 years ago.

>> An armed standoff in Bu nkerville... >> NARRATOR: ...sparked a movement... >> We did not anticipate these hundreds of militia people coming in, many of them heavily armed.

>> I was convinced it was going to go south.

It was that close.

>> This became sort of this rallying cry for anti-government extremists everywhere.

>> NARRATOR: ...and challenged the federal government... >> Bundy took over the Malheur National Wildlife... >> That's exactly why we had guns there.

They would respect us.

And if we didn't, they would've tased us and hauled us off in paddy wagons.

>> Our number one priority was to resolve the occupation peacefully.

They had armed guards at the gates.

They had armed patrols.

They clearly intended to defend their position.

>> NARRATOR: Tonight on Frontline, the inside story of an armed uprising and a movement that calls themselves "American Patriots."

>> I'm the son of a rancher.

That's what I am, and I don't want to be anything more than that.

My family established a homestead in the Virgin Valley in southern Nevada in 1877, and they began to run cattle.

I always dreamed about being able to ranch.

But the federal government has turned its eyes, as modern conquerors, and focused on controlling the land and the resources.

We are at a dangerous time, and I'm not just talking about ranchers.

I'm talking about all aspects of what this nation was built on.

>> NARRATOR: Ammon Bundy is facing charges that could send him to prison for the rest of his life.

He's been called a hero and a criminal, a patriot and a domestic terrorist.

Ammon claims he never wanted to be anything more than a rancher, but in 2016, he lead the largest armed uprising against the federal government in a generation.

>> A modern-day range war is taking place right now in Bunkerville.

>> Cliven Bundy's fight against the feds has ignited a firestorm of debate.

>> Dozens of armed federal officers are preparing for a showdown with a Nevada cattle rancher.

>> Rancher Cliven Bundy... >> Cliven Bundy says other cattle ranchers were forced off the land, but he is refusing to leave.

>> NARRATOR: In the fall of 2013, Ammon Bundy's family lost a decades-long legal battle with the federal government.

They'd been refusing to remove their cattle from public land near Bunkerville, Nevada.

And owed over a million dollars in fees and fines.

For 20 years, the government had been trying to phase out ranching in Bunkerville to deal with development and environmental issues.

Some ranchers shut down, others took buyouts, but Ammon's father, Cliven Bundy, refused.

>> My dad said no.

And when they come and said they're going to take it anyway, he said, "Hell no!

You're not going to take away what my grandfathers passed down to me."

He said no.

>> The issue with the Bundy family started more than 20 years ago.

>> NARRATOR: Steve Ellis was a deputy director of the Bureau of Land Management, the BLM, which grants permits to ranchers to graze their cattle on public land.

>> The U.S. government is a huge landlord in the West.

Inherently there's going to be conflicts and challenges for us in making decisions.

BLM was making a change in Mr. Bundy's permit.

Mr. Bundy rejected that and stopped paying his grazing fees and that started the whole thing.

>> The BLM was threatening to decrease his cattle operation to the point where there'd be nothing left.

But ranchers can't just stop paying their grazing fees.

Even as a form of protest, it's difficult to make the case that if you stop paying, you can still continue operating.

So the only action the BLM can take at that point is to impound Bundy's cattle.

>> NARRATOR: The Bundys declared a range war, and the BLM finally sent in armed agents to oversee the removal of the cattle.

>> Rangers and agents from several federal agencies are preparing to move against rancher Cliven Bundy.

>> The Bureau of Land Management came in and began to build their compound, and it was built like a military base.

I'm, you know, saying, "Dad, I really want to be able to do something if you need me to do it."

>> NARRATOR: As the BLM was impounding hundreds of the Bundys' cattle, Ammon's brother David began filming government convoys.

(indistinct voice on radio) >> Hey, sir!

>> NARRATOR: When agents ordered him to stop, he refused, as his older brother Ryan tried to intervene.

>> I am going to take him with me.

>> Okay, he's a grown man.

He can take himself, okay, sir?

This is your first choice, sir, to leave, to leave?

I'm going to drag you out of the car, okay, here in a second.

Sir, sir, leave now.

>> Several men came down, threw him to the ground, and then they detained him and took him to the compound.

>> 1608 turning camera off.

Bundy has left the area.

>> It was that night that my dad said, "Well, I guess it's time for you to come."

When I dropped down into the valley, I couldn't believe what I saw.

I pulled into the protest site, and, uh, there's, like, 40 or 50 people there.

It was quite amazing to see the people unite.

>> NARRATOR: As he arrived in Bunkerville, he found that ranchers from across the state had rallied to his father's defense.

>> This Bundy family, no more than just a good ranch family.

There's a good example of what they've tried to do to them right here, on this deal right here, only the people have finally had enough.

>> For the last 20 years, they've been after the good guys.

>> Yeah.

>> Ranchers have been frustrated with the federal government for a very long time.

They severely cut back the amount of time cattle can be on public lands.

Ranchers are always having to look over their shoulder and wonder, "When is my ranch no longer gonna be viable?"

The Bundys are among the last ranchers in Clark County.

>> (chanting): No BLM!

No BLM!

>> NARRATOR: As the crowds grew, protesters confronted government agents.

(protestors shouting) >> They body-slammed my aunt Margaret to the ground.

(shouting) And they tased me.

That was all caught on video.

And then that video went viral and that's when more people started coming.

>> I was very worried about the optics of it.

I thought, "Wow, this is not good.

I mean, the optics of this is going to be horrible."

>> This skirmish quickly turned into an angry mob, and protestors were hurt.

>> Then he tased me again.

Probably because I didn't drop on the ground.

>> We always knew the potential that they would not cooperate, but we did not anticipate those large numbers of people coming in.

>> In the past, we saw similar activities of protest.

But what's different about 2014 and Bunkerville is that a bunch of people show up to support Cliven Bundy who are not ranchers at all.

>> NARRATOR: Cliven was contacted by a militia group from Montana, who asked to come to the ranch.

And on Facebook, his wife, Carol, called for militias from across the country to come and support them.

That caught the attention of Ryan Lenz at the Southern Poverty Law Center.

>> We track anti-government groups and extremist groups.

We focus on both racial extremism and anti-government extremism, both of which have been growing quite immensely in recent years.

This image of Ammon Bundy tasered became sort of this rallying cry for anti-government extremists everywhere.

>> I don't have to explain myself, because this is America.

And I want all... >> The first time I heard about Bundy Ranch was when the YouTube video came out with the Bundys getting tased and the aunt getting tossed by the federal agent.

(gunshots) >> NARRATOR: Brandon Rapolla, a Marine veteran, runs a small militia in Oregon.

>> To come in as a militarized force against your citizen like this, that's when We the People, we say, "No, this is not what the Constitution stands for," and we have to remind our federal government that we are the power.

>> People are coming in from out of state now to hold off the federal rangers and many are armed.

>> We bring you now the latest from the Bundy Ranch, where the militia has arrived in support of Cliven Bundy.

>> Within less than a 24-hour period, I got my gear ready and made an 18-hour straight drive down there.

And you had people from all over the country.

And a lot of the people that I met were prior military, were still active military, and Special Forces, in different branches.

Everybody had a purpose or a reason to come, but it was all based on the fact that they know somebody is being abused, and something's not right.

>> NARRATOR: Militias from around the country descended on Bunkerville.

>> The Oath Keepers, which is this group of former military and police personnel, the Three Percenters who believe that they are prepared to fight the federal government much like our, like the colonists were against the British.

And so, Bunkerville becomes this sort of Petri dish of anti-government extremist thought.

>> NARRATOR: The Bureau of Land Management watched with increasing alarm as the situation escalated.

>> We're surrounded by people with guns, these hundreds of militia people coming in.

Many of them are heavily armed from around the country.

>> NARRATOR: On April 12, the BLM said they would stop rounding up more cattle.

But that wasn't enough for Cliven.

He wanted all his cows back.

>> Good morning, citizens of Clark County, Nevada!

(crowd cheers) Good morning, America!

(crowd cheers) >> Cliven basically says, "We're about to take this country back.

And let's go get my cattle."

>> We're going to go and take the rest of them out of the compound corrals up here above the freeway.

(crowd cheers) >> And boom, they're off!

>> Let's get 'er done!

>> NARRATOR: The Bunkerville protest was becoming an uprising.

>> We're taking back our county, that's basically what's going to happen, then we're going to take back our state.

>> NARRATOR: Ammon and hundreds of protesters headed for the lot where the government had impounded the family's cattle.

>> NARRATOR: We obtained video taken by law enforcement that day.

>> NARRATOR: Some of it has never been shown before.

>> They were all heading to this wash, where the main entrance was to the pen where the BLM held his cattle.

>> NARRATOR: As the protesters converged on the cattle pen, law enforcement officers from a half-dozen agencies scrambled to hold them off.

>> Where you going to set up a triage area?

>> Behind the vehicles over here.

>> Okay.

>> No, that's what I'm saying.

>> Once we were down there, they were in stacking position with their rifles up.

>> We're afraid, because they're telling us that if we don't disperse, they're going to open fire, and that's what we believed that they would do.

>> NARRATOR: But the militias were in position, too.

>> Anybody who went there was prepared for the federal government to take lethal action.

>> I was thinking of how serious the situation had become, how we had a very volatile situation right then.

>> Northbound lane has rifles.

With scopes.

>> Which one?

>> Northbound-- the furthest bridge.

>> The government had snipers and the militia put in place counter-snipers.

It was a level of tension and borderline violence.

I was convinced it was going to go south, that it was that close.

>> These SWAT teams knew these guys are out there, there to defend, and they will whip your ass, we will die.

>> Bundy!

Bundy, come here!

>> NARRATOR: At the head of the crowd, Ammon Bundy confronted BLM agent Dan Love, demanding he release the family's cattle.

>> We're staying here until they're gone.

That's what we're doing.

>> BLM, go home!

>> What was going through my mind is, it is not worth it to have anybody hurt over 400 cows that they had impounded at that point.

So I told them to pull out.

And to pull out now.

(crowd cheering) >> NARRATOR: The Bundys and their militia supporters had led an armed standoff, in defiance of court orders, and no one was arrested.

They even got their cows back.

>> The Bureau of Land Management was trying to root my dad off his ranch for 30 years now.

For it to unfold the way it did was absolutely a miracle to us.

And amazing.

>> They can gloat all they want.

But everyone went home safe.

And I also knew that eventually the wheels of justice would start turning, that that was not the end of it.

>> NARRATOR: The federal government had backed down.

But it would spend the next two years trying to bring the Bundys to justice.

Overnight, the Bundys were thrust into the national spotlight.

>> Welcome to Hannity, and this is a Fox News Alert.

The federal government may have surrendered in the battle against Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy.

(cheering) >> NARRATOR: The discussion was as divided as the country itself.

>> The law breaking rancher named Cliven Bundy has literally put the Bureau of Land Management in the crosshairs of sniper rifles.

>> Frankly, I thought there was a lack of proportionality here by the government, and snipers and surrounding your ranch and taking your cattle, none of it made any sense.

>> When the standoff at Bunkerville happens, it is very much local battle and local relationship with the BLM, but because of the coverage it draws from the media there are other people who will appropriate Bundy and his cause and make it their own because it seems to support their larger message of out-of-control, tyrannical federal government.

>> I'm worried about the lies that are told to us about the IRS, about what happened in Benghazi, and the lies that sold health care.

I'm concerned that the government is overreaching here.

>> I don't think in any way Cliven Bundy wanted to be the poster child for Sean Hannity or the far right.

I don't think he was particularly interested in any given political movement.

>> NARRATOR: The Bundys wanted to use their new platform to talk about what mattered to them.

Their belief that public land should be managed locally, not by the federal government.

>> The fact is, the federal government have overstepped their bounds and taken... >> NARRATOR: But within days, an interview with Cliven making racist comments went viral.

>> Cliven Bundy, it turns out, is a racist.

>> NARRATOR: The backlash was immediate.

>> Conservatives stampeded away from Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy.

>> I believe those comments are downright racist.

They are repugnant, they are bigoted, and it's beyond disturbing.

>> NARRATOR: From then on, Ammon would be the voice of the Bundy family.

>> The people have the power.

We want to unite.

We have the power.

(crowd cheering) >> Ammon is smarter at not sticking his foot in his mouth.

Cliven stays on the ranch, but Ammon is slowly building up a larger network of supporters through the internet and other places.

>> Who has heard the story of what happened?

>> He is beginning to export the protest across the interior West.

>> NARRATOR: With word spreading on social media, Ammon was in demand as a speaker.

>> So I began to pray and I prayed longer than I'd ever prayed in my life.

>> NARRATOR: He and his family are devout Mormons.

And Ammon spread his family's message with the zeal of a missionary.

He argued that under the Constitution, the federal government has no right to restrict ranchers use of public land, even if they don't own it.

>> If we didn't have the Constitution, we wouldn't have the federal government.

>> NARRATOR: He was becoming a leader in the so-called "Patriot Movement."

>> If people want to call me a leader, that's fine, but I'm doing what every person should do, and it's that simple.

>> NARRATOR: In his travels, Ammon learned of a family in eastern Oregon whose battles with the federal government reminded him of his own.

>> Two-thirds of the way up on that mountain, where you see the snow, that's where our cattle are at... >> NARRATOR: Like the Bundys, the Hammonds were ranchers who repeatedly clashed with federal officers over the use of public land.

Twenty years earlier, their fight with the government received national attention.

>> Hammond has become a virtual martyr to many in the land rights movement.

>> NARRATOR: In 2012, the Hammonds were prosecuted for settings fires that destroyed federal land and endangered people's lives.

They claimed the fires were to maintain their grazing land and had spread out of control, but they faced a mandatory minimum of five years.

>> The Hammonds are longtime ranchers in eastern Oregon that had been charged with arson.

Their case went to trial in Pendleton, Oregon, and that resulted in convictions.

>> NARRATOR: The jury found them guilty but the judge reduced their sentences-- three months for Dwight, one year for his son, Steven.

But, that didn't satisy the prosecutors.

>> The law wasn't followed.

So, that matter was appealed and they were sentenced to the five-year mandatory minimium.

>> Two Oregon ranchers must go back to prison for starting fires that burned on federal land.

>> NARRATOR: When Ammon Bundy heard the Hammonds were going back to prison, he was outraged.

>> We hear about the Hammonds.

This urge just filled my whole body.

I felt a divine drive, an urge that said you have to get involved.

>> NARRATOR: So in the fall of 2015, Ammon went to Burns, Oregon, a place, like the rest of Harney County, that had fallen on hard times.

Chris Briels used to be the fire chief here.

>> I moved here in 1978.

Burns was kind of cool; it was the place I wanted to be because it was away from the big city and all the extraneous crazy stuff that goes on in the rest of the world.

And so it was a safe and wonderful place to raise my kids.

I thought.

The economy was booming.

There were a lot of people working in the mill.

There were a lot of loggers, a lot of truckers hauling logs.

Ranchers were doing well.

It was a nice place to be.

But now it's just a graveyard of industry, and it's definitely not the same.

But I love this area.

>> My name is Ammon Bundy.

I don't live in Oregon... >> The first time that Ammon came to Harney County, I heard on Facebook, because we don't have a radio station here.

>> If we were abiding by the Constitution, the Hammonds would never be in the position they're in.

If we're abiding by the Constitution, these ranchers would be able to ranch without being in fear.

>> I've always been involved with the community, and I thought, I'm going to go out and I'm going to find out what kind of weirdos we got in our backyard now, you know?

And then, Ammon got up and started talking.

>> (voice breaking): The Lord was not pleased with what was happening to the Hammonds... And I apologize for being emotional, I hope you guys can get past that.

>> And I listened and I was just kind of transfixed.

It's like wow, this guy is sincere.

You know, he had found out about the Hammonds and he had some real concerns.

Well, I'll be danged; this is a real cowboy.

>> NARRATOR: Ammon took to social media, trying to bring attention to the Hammonds' situation.

>> What has happened to the Hammonds will happen to more and more people.

And it is that simple.

And so I am asking you to come to Harney County.

We are to stand now and that we are to do these things now, or we will not have anything to pass on to our children.

>> NARRATOR: Ammon's call to action was heard by many of the same militia members who had supported his family at the Bundy Ranch.

>> When I found out Ammon Bundy had contact with the Hammonds, I contacted Ammon and said, "Hey, I would like to help."

>> NARRATOR: After the Bunkerville standoff, militias around the country had been energized, and Brandon Rapolla formed an alliance with other groups in the Northwest.

They called themselves the Pacific Patriots Network.

>> Okay, so, two mags of five.

>> Two mags of five for now... >> NARRATOR: Joseph Rice leads a PPN chapter in Oregon's Rogue Valley.

>> Ammon Bundy has drawn attention to the abuses by the three-letter agencies in the management of our natural resources.

It started the discussion.

It's why you guys are sitting here.

(clicking) Five rounds in place, transition to pistol, two rounds.

(ammunition and guns clicking) >> I don't know any other way to describe what happened to the Hammond family, other than...

I don't understand what country we live in when it comes to that.

>> When ready... And commence.

Fire!

(gunshots) >> There was a need for people to be defended.

(gunshots) >> Cease fire, cease fire.

>> NARRATOR: Two days before the Hammonds returned to jail, Ammon Bundy and the Pacific Patriots Network organized a rally in downtown Burns.

>> On January 2, the Bundys and his followers had organized a rally in support of the Hammond family.

>> Where's Idaho?

(cheering) Where's Oregon?

(cheering) >> Several hundred people showed up at the rally... >> We're gonna continue down this road to the corner where the Hammonds live.

Everybody ready to do this?

(cheering) >> ...and they marched through the streets of Burns.

(crowd singing "Amazing Grace") >> NARRATOR: The marchers stopped in front of the Hammonds' home.

(crowd singing) >> The most humbling experience that anybody could have.

>> NARRATOR: The march was supposed to end in the Safeway parking lot.

But Ammon had decided to take things further.

>> After we rallied there in Burns, what were we supposed to do, just go home?

Just say, "Okay, look, you know, the Hammond family will go to prison for five years"?

You know, what are the people, just to go home?

We had to stand for them.

Those who are ready to actually do something about it, I'm asking you to follow me and go to the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.

And we're going to make a hard stand.

Follow me!

>> About 40 miles.

>> It's about 40 miles!

>> NARRATOR: Ammon and a small group of armed followers raced out to Malheur, taking their fight to government-owned land adjacent to the Hammonds' land.

>> No one anticipated the Malheur occupation.

Nobody really was expecting it.

Nobody knew what it was.

Nobody knew how it would end.

And, really, nobody knew how far the Bundys would go.

>> A really bizarre anti- government protest is playing out on a remote wildlife refuge.

>> Armed anti-government protesters who've taken over a group of federal buildings.

Police are keeping their distance for now, hoping to ride this thing out.

>> Many of you have asked us for what is our name.

And that would be Citizens for Constitutional Freedom.

Our purpose is to restore and defend the Constitution.

>> They had armed guards at the gates.

They had armed patrols that roamed the perimeter of the facility.

They'd moved heavy equipment to block the roads.

They clearly intended to stay and to defend their position.

>> NARRATOR: But most of Ammon's militia allies had stayed behind in Burns.

For them, taking the refuge was a step too far.

>> Oregon 3 Percent is not going.

The Pacific Patriots Network is not going.

We respect the patriots and the people that want to go out there and do that, but as far as Oregon and Idaho is concerned, that's not what we're here to do.

>> Us and PPN and Oregon 3 Percent and the other patriot groups and leadership said, "No, that's not what we're here for."

>> I had no idea, I had no intention, that something this drastic would come from this.

>> The Burns incident absolutely separated the patriot movement.

What happened in Malheur felt offensive.

It felt like you're taking the fight to them, rather than defending somebody else.

>> NARRATOR: Ammon was left with a core group of supporters.

Many of them had been at the standoff in Bunkerville.

>> Over the first initial days of the occupation, we were able to identify a core group of leadership who were active in recruiting people to come to the refuge and communicating with the press.

>> NARRATOR: One of Ammon's closest allies at Malheur was an old family friend.

>> LaVoy Finicum.

I'm a rancher in northern Arizona.

>> We were aware of who LaVoy Finicum was.

Like Ammon Bundy, he was part of that leadership group.

>> NARRATOR: And Like Ammon, he had a following on social media.

>> Hello, everyone.

This is LaVoy Finicum, One Cowboy's Stand For Freedom.

BLM, here I am.

You want to pick on somebody, come pick on me.

>> NARRATOR: The occupiers braced themselves for a showdown, but the FBI raid never came.

>> When dealing with a situation like this, tactical patience is as important as a good strategic plan.

We had seen what had happened a year and a half or so before, and the tension and escalation that occurred at that point.

>> NARRATOR: So the FBI held back and waited.

The occupiers traveled regularly between the refuge and the town, and the authorities made no effort to arrest them.

>> It wasn't easy.

It goes counter to any law enforcement officer that you'll ever meet to stand by and watch someone break the law, clearly break the law, and be out touting the fact they're breaking the law, and not do anything about it.

>> That's exactly why we had guns there.

If we had them, they would respect us and allow us to speak.

These lands, they need to be returned back to the people.

And if we didn't, then they would do what they've done to protesters all across this nation.

They would have tased us, they would have sprayed us with mace, they would have put zip ties on us and hauled us off in paddy wagons.

>> NARRATOR: The standoff dragged on for days, and then weeks, as the occupiers issued demands.

Some of them posted videos of the negotiations with the FBI.

>> You're telling me these people are afraid to talk to us.

How can we overcome that?

>> Well, maybe, first you could come out and look us in the eye, first, and you could give us your real first name and your real last name, and you could be a true representative of the people, and that would start.

That would be a great start.

>> Their demands were that the FBI leave Harney County, and that the control of not just the refuge but all federal lands in Harney County be returned back to the citizens of the county and/or the state.

Those are not demands that we could meet, nor are they in agreement in any way, shape or form with the interpretation of the Constitution as has been determined by the Supreme Court over many, many years.

>> NARRATOR: The FBI had set up a command post in a school, and the airport became a staging area for tactical teams and equipment.

>> The sheriff, state police, and federal government all of a sudden escalated their force.

Then we realized, "Holy crap."

We needed to make sure that nothing bad was going to happen to Ammon.

>> NARRATOR: The Pacific Patriots Network decided to come out to the refuge.

>> Back up.

You guys won't be allowed to come anywhere closer.

>> NARRATOR: They said they still opposed the occupation, and were only there to prevent an attack by the FBI.

>> As we have seen with federal operations in the past, we don't want to see a Waco situation occur here at all.

>> They were always armed, and they viewed themselves as a buffer between those who were on the refuge and law enforcement.

I asked, "What do you mean by being a buffer?"

And I never got a great answer.

>> Mr. Bundy, to you right there, it is time for you to go home.

(cheers and applause) >> NARRATOR: In town, the residents were turning against the Bundys.

>> How was Harney County impacted?

It's like there was a big earthquake through the population.

It shattered us.

You know, it fragmented people, you know?

There were families that were arguing over things, you know, and friends that weren't friends anymore.

And people were in fear.

>> You people get the hell out of here.

You don't own a god(bleep) nut, bolt, or nothing else here.

>> NARRATOR: Almost a month into the occupation, LaVoy Finicum told reporters that he sensed the FBI's mood shifting.

>> The tenor has changed, and they have become more hardened.

And when they step out of their vehicles, now they're stepping out with their rifles.

They do not intend on losing here.

And we do not intend giving it back to them.

>> NARRATOR: The next day the FBI saw an opportunity to end it.

>> On January 26 the FBI had developed information that a significant number of the leadership of the occupation was going to be traveling from the refuge to a meeting in John Day, Oregon.

>> We knew the route they were going to take, we knew the cars they were going to be in.

>> NARRATOR: Two cars left the refuge bound for John Day County, 90 miles away.

An FBI surveillance plane followed overhead.

Ammon rode in the second car.

His brother Ryan, LaVoy Finicum, and a militia leader were in the first.

At the last minute, they were joined by two women, including Shawna Cox.

>> I wasn't supposed to be in that vehicle at all.

I thought we were going to a meeting, we'll be there for a couple of hours, and we'll be back.

>> You couldn't let the occupation go on forever.

So the intent of this operation was to get them as far away from any populated area as possible.

>> NARRATOR: 30 miles down a twisting mountain road, the vehicles entered an area outside of cell phone reception.

The FBI, backed by State Police, made their move.

Officers pulled the cars over.

Ammon Bundy was finally arrested.

But in the lead vehicle, LaVoy refused to get out.

>> I am not turning off the vehicle.

This is LaVoy Finicum.

You want to shoot me, you shoot me.

But I'm not going anywhere.

>> They had unmarked vehicles.

We don't know who these people are.

And we didn't want to get out of the vehicle.

And that's why I pulled up the camera.

I was in defense mode.

And our best weapon is our cameras.

>> Who are you?

>> Yeah, who are you?

>> Who are you?

>> Oregon State Police.

>> Oregon State Police.

>> Okay, well, I'm going over to meet the sheriff in Grant County.

You can come along with us and you can talk with us over there.

>> No, you're going to turn off your vehicle.

>> You can go ahead and shoot me.

Put the laser right there.

Put the bullet through the head.

>> I could see the laser on top of LaVoy's hat.

We were absolutely afraid for our life.

>> You want my blood on your hands?

Then get it done, because we've got people to see and places to go.

>> Right now you need to do what you're told.

>> No, I don't.

>> You need to back off.

>> You need to back off.

>> Well, if we duck, and you drive, what are they going to do, try and knock us down?

How much further we got to go?

>> We got about 50-odd miles.

I'm going to go.

You guys ready?

>> Get down.

>> Then you duck down.

>> Get down.

>> Go.

Keep going.

>> What about Ammon and those guys?

>> We can't get around him.

I'm going to go get help.

>> Coming up fast.

>> Yeah, they are.

>> Hang on!

>> Okay, they're shooting.

>> Hang on!

>> Go ahead and shoot me.

(gunshots) >> LaVoy Finicum immediately pops out of the car.

Law enforcement engage him, and over a period of several seconds give him commands to keep his hands up, stop reaching, stop reaching.

But he reached several times in his jacket, and was shot by law enforcement.

>> Damn it, are they shooting him?

Did they shoot him?

You ass(bleep).

>> Oh, my God!

>> Stay down.

Stay down.

>> Oh, God!

>> Stay down.

(gunshot) >> God, keep us safe, please.

>> Please, please protect us, God.

>> Please God, God... >> Please protect us, please protect us, please protect us.

We need help, we need help, we need help.

>> Did they kill him?

(horn blowing) >> Our most kind and gracious Father who art in heaven, we come before thee in honor and remembrance of our beloved friend, your son LaVoy Finicum.

And we thank thee, o Father, for his selfless sacrifice.

>> NARRATOR: The killing of LaVoy Finicum made him a martyr to his followers.

>> He had become a beacon of light.

>> NARRATOR: But it was the beginning of the end of the Malheur occupation.

Ammon and his supporters were now in custody, charged with felonies.

He and 13 others would stand trial in Portland.

>> We're not going anywhere, and we will continue to take our stand.

Governor Kate Brown is responsible for the murder of LaVoy Finicum, for the murder of a cowboy.

>> NARRATOR: Dory Dae joined the Patriot movement after LaVoy Finicum's death and Ammon's arrest.

She led daily protests outside the jail where Ammon and his codefendants were being held for trial.

>> I'm out here protesting today and every day against the federal government on behalf of our American patriots.

>> NARRATOR: Federal prosecutors had imposed the most severe charge they could-- conspiracy to impede federal employees.

>> There were not a lot of options in the federal criminal code for really addressing the conduct.

There was no blueprint for what to do when people take over a wildlife refuge.

One could reasonably conclude that part of the reason that these folks were there was to keep Fish and Wildlife employees from doing their jobs.

That it simply was not normal to have thousands of rounds of ammunition on a wildlife refuge in a workspace.

>> NARRATOR: The prosecution entered over 1,000 exhibits into evidence, from wiretaps, electronic surveillance, and informants.

Their case seemed overwhelming.

>> It was unlike any case I've ever covered.

>> Many of you have asked us for, what is our name?

>> You had an armed occupation of federal property that was broadcast.

It was documented on the defendant's own Facebook pages.

>> It is a time to stand up and come to Harney County.

>> A lot of people thought this was going to be a slam dunk conviction.

>> NARRATOR: Ammon's attorney, Marcus Mumford, came up with a strategy to turn the conspiracy case on its head.

>> All the way down.

>> NARRATOR: While the prosecution tried to focus on the criminal charges, Mumford was making a political case.

>> From very early on in the case, it was clear we needed to show they were protesting, and they were not conspiring.

The government's evidence was all about the ammunition.

It was all about the guns.

>> The notion that you have this right, or it makes you more patriotic, if you're willing to storm into a facility with your guns, that isn't how it's done in this country.

(gunfire) >> NARRATOR: This video, the only one of the occupiers firing weapons at the refuge, was a key piece of the evidence for the prosecution.

But in the closing days of the trial, it was revealed that an FBI informant had overseen the shooting exercise.

>> It was one of the turning points in the trial when we brought up this issue of government informants.

There had been a government informant who, it appears, was specifically recruited and instructed to go to the refuge in order to get video of these guys doing violent things.

>> NARRATOR: The FBI agent who led the investigation defended the use of informants in the case.

>> There are strict guidelines.

Law enforcement is not allowed, nor would they ever send in an informant to instigate any criminal activity.

One of the things that I think needs to be crystal clear in any event like this-- that law enforcement is going to use any tool in their toolbox that they can to bring a situation like this to a peaceful conclusion.

>> The case itself from the government side was one thing.

Of course our presentation of the case was, this is government overreach.

And the trial itself became an example of it.

>> Ammon Bundy!

Ryan Bundy!

>> NARRATOR: As the seven-week trial came to an end, protesters continued their vigils outside the jail.

>> NARRATOR: Then, in late October, a verdict that shocked the city.

>> It was a pretty jaw-dropping verdict.

Everyone has been acquitted.

>> Seven former Malheur Refuge occupiers have been found not guilty.

>> The jury foreman, he looked at me and I looked at him, and I gave him a nod.

And that was the best I could do at that point for saying thank you.

>> NARRATOR: The jurors hadn't been convinced the occupation was the conspiracy the government laid out.

>> We received the verdict.

It was surprising, in the almost two decades that I've been handling criminal cases as a prosecutor, it has gotten more difficult with federal law enforcement like FBI agents, because there seems to be, from our vantage point, more distrust of those institutions.

>> The problem with the acquittals is that it seems the Bundys won twice.

What it said was that you can go in, terrorize the community around you, and walk away scot-free.

>> NARRATOR: But Ammon's victory would be short lived.

Federal prosecutors in Nevada had finally filed their own charges against him and his family for the Bunkerville standoff.

And as the verdict was read, marshals were there to take him back to face charges.

Marcus Mumford started to protest.

>> So I'm arguing with the marshals, and we're having this conversation about, "Well, if you have the order, show it to me, if not, he should be free to go."

And at that point a marshal came up and just grabbed me.

All of them surrounded me at the same time, put their hands on me and just, you know, started to pull my hands behind my back.

Then they put me down on the floor.

I was on my belly.

They tased me.

They put the stun gun on me, and they hit me with it.

>> NARRATOR: Mumford was arrested for creating a disturbance in the court.

The charges were later dropped, and Ammon would be transferred to a prison in Nevada.

It turned out the FBI had been trying to build its case against Ammon and his family ever since the standoff in 2014.

Shortly after the standoff had ended, the FBI infiltrated the family ranch.

(phone ringing) >> Hello, Bundys.

>> May I ask who's calling?

>> Okay, just a second, let me get to him.

>> NARRATOR: They posed as a documentary film company, Longbow Productions, and filmed over several months.

The footage has not been broadcast before, and we've concealed the undercover agents' identities and voices.

>> This is Ammon Bundy.

How are you doing?

>> I don't know if you could tell; there's a little level of you know, uncomfortable, and just wanted to make sure that we're all on the same page.

>> So we looked you up online, and we found just a pretty simple website.

>> I think I've... got what I wanted, so I feel a lot more comfortable about it.

>> I never did once think I'd have to take a life.

I was never armed.

>> NARRATOR: In the interviews, they wanted to know who planned the standoff, and who was in charge.

>> So, at the circumstance, or just in general?

>> My dad was really skeptical, you know, he really was.

Then I end up basically talking my family into it.

And so, you know, they went to our home.

>> Can you hear me now?

Testing, testing.

>> I think about that.

The whole time my mom's in there cooking for them, and they're plotting to destroy our family.

>> NARRATOR: The FBI also used its access to the Bundy family to convince militia members to talk.

One of them was Greg Burleson, who had been at the standoff.

>> Right.

On that note, I'd like another shot.

(laughing) >> Dead bodies, literally.

>> Once we set up a perimeter, anything that comes into the perimeter-- it doesn't matter if we're up at the Bundy Ranch, or if we're out in the southern desert-- if it comes into our perimeter, if it's not a friendly, it dies.

>> NARRATOR: The FBI declined to comment on the operation.

But federal prosecutors used some of the footage to help convict Burleson of eight charges, including threatening and assaulting a federal officer.

He was sentenced to 68 years in prison.

>> I can't tell you that.

>> I can't tell you that.

>> If we don't stand now, we will never get our lands back.

>> NARRATOR: The footage is also part of the case against the Bundy family.

>> Is this an interview and a documentary, or is this an interrogation?

That was basically our question.

>> NARRATOR: As the Bundys awaited trial, once again, protesters gathered, this time, outside the gates of the private prison in Nevada where they were being held.

>> Truth is out and now we know, let our political prisoners go!

>> Today, it's the Bundys; tomorrow, it's you.

(cheering) >> NARRATOR: The Bundys had galvanized the so-called "Patriot movement" and channeled anti-government sentiment that continues.

>> Just as you granted a big miracle for us in Portland.

We know that you have miracles for us here.

Amen.

>> Amen.

>> NARRATOR: Now, if convicted, the Bundys faced decades behind bars.

>> Yeah, my dad's 70 years old.

It's a death sentence to him.

You know, my brothers, it's all of us.

All of us will be dead before they let us go.

As much as I hope that we are found not guilty, and I get to go home to my family, I don't think it'll matter.

I believe that what we have done has made a difference, and will continue to make a difference.

>> When tyranny becomes law, rebellion becomes duty!

>> Whether we agree or disagree even with the Bundys, we all are victims when this is allowed to take place.

When there is this kind of breach of the rule of law, we're all harmed.

NARRATOR: In November 2017, a surprise.

>> Ammon Bundy is out of jail today... >> ...facing charges stemming from a 2014 armed standoff.

>> NARRATOR: The judge ordered that the Bundy's could be released while their trial wass underway.

>> We suffered for 2 years trying to tell the world that what happened their was not what the government's been saying happened.

>> Weeks later, all the charges against the Bundys were dismissed.

>> There's this grievance that's eating away at Vladimir Putin.

>> NARRATOR: Ten years after the great recession... >> That took a piece of our souls.

>> NARRATOR: Cities like Dayton are still struggling to come back.

>> I actually worked in the same exact plant for GM I'd say it probably averaged out around $35/hr.

At Fuyao you started out at $12/hr.

>> Dayton is not iunique in the problems that we are facing.

What is unique is that Dayton is still small enough to fix this.

>> NARRATOR: "Left Behind America", next time on Frontline.

for a special inside look at the government's struggle to deal with the Bundys and the militia movement.

>> You need to leave.

That's-that's... >> And I'm telling you you need to de-escalate the situation.

>> Learn more about the groups at the center of today's militia movement... >> And we have to remind our federal government that we are the power.

>> Then visit our watch page, where you can stream more than 200 Frontline documentaries.

Connect to the Frontline community on Facebook and Twitter, then sign up for our newsletter at pbs.org/frontline.

>> For more on this and other Frontline programs, visit our website at pbs.org/frontline.

>> Frontline's "American Patriot" is available on DVD.

To order, visit shopPBS.org or call 1-800-PLAY-PBS.

Frontline is also available for download on iTunes.

or call 1-800-PLAY-PBS.

Frontline is also available for download on iTunes.