Family members of two men charged in connection with an alleged plot to attack last weekend's UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House spotted warning signs before federal authorities intervened — including a mother in Ohio who called police days before the planned attack and a California family that watched a relative quietly disappear toward Washington, D.C. The Justice Department announced Tuesday that five men from across the country face federal charges related to the alleged conspiracy, which prosecutors say involved drones loaded with explosives, snipers, and coordinated shooter teams.
How Two Families Raised the Alarm
Bryan Omar Roa, 24, of Calimesa, California, told a family member that one day they would wake up and he would be gone — and that "something big" would happen in Washington. On June 10, that prediction appeared to come true when the family woke to find Roa missing. Multiple relatives separately told law enforcement he had been spending more time at the shooting range, had grown increasingly anxious and withdrawn, and had recently begun communicating with a new group of online contacts. The family considered reporting him before he left but did not contact police until after he returned. Federal complaints say a vehicle breakdown — traffic cameras placed Roa's car in Barstow, California on June 11 — forced him back before he reached the capital.
On the same day Roa vanished from his California home, Tycen Proper's mother in Danville, Ohio, called local deputies to report her 19-year-old son's recent conduct. Proper had allegedly spent roughly $3,000 of graduation money on a new shotgun, a rifle, ammunition, ballistic plates, plate carriers, and camping gear, and had quit his job in preparation to meet online contacts for what he described as "missions" and "recons." Proper was transported to a hospital for evaluation due to homicidal ideations. The Knox County Sheriff's Office contacted the FBI the following day, drawing federal investigators into the case.
The Alleged Plot Architecture
Federal complaints describe a layered tactical plan. Prosecutors allege the group intended to fly drones carrying explosives near the north side of the White House event to generate panic and force attendees — including "high value targets" — to flee southward, where snipers and additional shooters would be waiting. The alleged conspirators assigned tiered roles: shooters, drone operators, getaway drivers, logistics coordinators, funders, and social media influencers. All communications reportedly ran through encrypted messaging apps.
Five Defendants, Multiple Federal Districts
Alongside Roa and Proper, the Justice Department charged Michael Alan Thomas, 32, of Pinon Hills, California; Daniel K. Eskridge, 32, of Kidder, Missouri; and Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez, 31, of Omaha, Nebraska. Charges range from conspiracy to commit murder to attempted murder of a U.S. officer and firearms offenses, filed across four federal districts. All five defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty. The FBI's Los Angeles field office confirmed its investigation remains "very much ongoing," and both the FBI and the Justice Department declined to elaborate, citing the active nature of the cases.
The episode underscores a pattern investigators and analysts have flagged for years: family intervention, more than surveillance, often provides the earliest actionable intelligence in domestic threat cases.