Former Army soldier sentenced to 2 years in prison for threatening Fort Irwin

A former U.S. Army soldier who posted a video on YouTube threatening to carry out a mass shooting at Fort Irwin has been sentenced to 24 months in prison. Christian Beyer, 42, was formally sentenced on Sept. 19, nearly a year after he announced his intention to sneak onto the base and kill specific soldiers.

The two-year sentence comes three months after Beyer pleaded guilty to sending threats via interstate communications. In October 2023, Beyer posted a nearly three-minute video in which he named specific Fort Irwin employees he had targeted and stated that he knew how to reach Fort Irwin without being detected. Beyer vowed to “hunt” soldiers and military families. Fort Irwin, home to the National Training Center, is in San Bernardino County.

“I’ve had a great life and I’ll die for what I believe in,” he said in the video. “If you come for me and you’re wearing a uniform, you’re an enemy and I won’t see you as anything else.”

Authorities found several other videos from September 2023 with similar threats. In late October, police began searching for Beyer in Mendocino County. He fled and briefly threatened a group of elderly people with a knife and a car. He eluded police for two days. He was eventually found at his father’s home in Sonoma County in Northern California after a manhunt and arrested on November 1.

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Beyer was previously stationed at Fort Irwin. He joined the Army in 2000 and served five tours, including three tours in Iraq. In 2021, he was court-martialed for an assault incident. Beyer left the Army in 2023. When he was arrested, authorities said Beyer knew trails and other ways to get past the main gate of Fort Irwin. It’s unclear what his plan was to reach the Southern California base or if or when he planned to actually attack it.

“Mr. Beyer’s desire to use violence against members of our military and their families led to a federal prison sentence,” U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said in a statement released by the Justice Department. “Our service members deserve better, and we will continue to prosecute those who seek to harm public servants.”

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