CANTON (WXYZ) — Brandon Caserta of Canton is one of the 13 men charged in the plot to kidnap and kill Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, the governor of Virginia and police. The FBI case agent testified in court Tuesday that after he was stopped by police in September, he sent encrypted texts to his co-defendants that he wanted to hunt down and kill those cops, texting that he'd “tap them and dip.”
Social media videos Caserta made are also part of the case including one that he made showing how me can rapid reload an assault rifle.
Other videos show Caserta talking in depth about his anti-government feelings.
“I’m about to drop a bomb. I’m an anarchist. I can tell you what government is, and some people might think anarchists are dumb. I don’t give a f---,” he says on video. It continues with Caserta saying, “What government actually is in reality is a group of people with the morale right to initiate force.”
Canton Police Chief Chad Baugh tells 7 Action News, “This is more alarming than the norm.”
The evidence shows the plot against both governors was because of their COVID-19 lockdowns. The Caserta video continues with more statements he makes including, “And now our government is taking away our freedom,” and "Defensive force is legitimate.”
Canton Police Chief Chad Baugh says this has officers on edge, and not just on the job.
“Now if they have to be on alert for another 12 hours, its very concerning and we want to work with our federal partners to make sure they’re held accountable,” Baugh said.
7 Action News has obtained dash-cam video of the stop at 1:11a.m. on Sept. 19. It shows two officers found Caserta was driving with expired proof of insurance. They gave him a ticket and told him he can update his insurance within 10 days and not have to pay.
20-1013 Fox, Et Al. Preliminary Hearing - E-filed by WXYZ-TV Channel 7 Detroit on Scribd
