A man is due in court on Monday accused of stealing a Border Patrol gun and ammunition to prepare for a zombie apocalypse.
Austin Giger, 30, of Tigard, Oregon, crossed into Canada before breaking into a U.S. border post. When caught loading up with weapons and ammunition, he claimed to be a Border Patrol agent but later said he was a civilian and was preparing himself for a zombie apocalypse, according to the criminal complaint filed by the prosecutors.
He is charged with unlawful possession of ammunition and theft of government property and is due in a Seattle federal court on Monday.
Giger had walked through the front doors of the border post and started going through rooms looking for weapons. He allegedly took two ballistic vests worth $3,000 each, a radio worth $5,000, a Border Patrol jacket worth $200, $20 worth of ammunition, $20 of pepper spray, and a $30 ammunition magazine.
A Border Patrol agent at a post near Lynden, Washington, responded to an alarm in an office around 1:00 a.m. on August 28 and found Giger wearing a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) jacket, name tag, and body armor, according to court documents seen by Koin 6 news in Washington.
When asked what he was doing, he told officers he had just finished work as a Border Patrol officer and pointed to the stolen vest.
He claimed to be a Border Patrol officer until an agent checked his Oregon ID and confirmed that he was not an employee.
The equipment he was wearing included 0.223 caliber ammunition and an M-4 ammunition magazine.
Giger was arrested at the Border Patrol office and taken to jail.
"On the way to the jail, Giger stated that he had crossed into Canada near Sumas through the woods and had been in Canada most of the day," court documents said. "Giger stated he then crossed the border south into the United States at the port of entry."
Border Patrol agents found that the defendant had an extensive criminal history—including felony convictions—in Oregon and had been on probation since early April. The Washington County Circuit Court in Oregon had previously charged him with unlawful use of a vehicle, burglary in the second degree, and two counts of criminal mischief in the first degree.
"Giger stated that he entered through a door of the building and began taking things that he needed to protect himself. Giger stated he believed he was in a zombie apocalypse," Homeland Security Investigations special agent Jesse Miller wrote in a criminal complaint filed in court.
The U.S. Attorney's Office requested Giger be held in custody pending trial, and he is scheduled for a detention hearing next Monday, October 2.
Uncommon Knowledge
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About the writer
Sean O'Driscoll is a Newsweek Senior Crime and Courts Reporter based in Ireland. His focus is reporting on U.S. law. ... Read more
