Anti-Government Extremist Found With Cache Of Guns Near LA School Sentenced: DOJ

LOS ANGELES, CA — A Pasadena man accused of adhering to an extremist anti-government movement and who was found with a cache of weapons after brandishing a loaded gun near a Los Angeles High School was sentenced Friday to two years in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Isaac Loftus, 27, previously pleaded guilty to possessing machine gun parts in connection to the incident. His sentence handed down Friday also includes three years of supervised released, including participating in a mental health treatment program after he is released from prison, federal prosecutors said.

Loftus was arrested following a November 2022 incident in which he was spotted wearing a tactical vest and armed with a gun near Thomas Jefferson High School in South Los Angeles. A witness saw Loftus pointing the gun at two passing motorists, according to prosecutors.

After Loftus was detained and later arrested, police removed a loaded 9mm handgun with no serial number — known as a ghost gun — from a holster he was wearing. The holster was decorated with symbols associated with the Boogaloo extremist movement, prosecutors said.

Officers also found heavy-duty zip ties, a tactical plate carrier, two knives and key fobs for a Honda Clarity that had been reported stolen from a car dealership earlier that day. The Honda had also been involved in a hit-and-run that day close to where Loftus was arrested, prosecutors said.

Inside the Honda, officers found a loaded 9mm ghost gun and a toolbox that contained parts for an AR-style rifle, a drop-in auto sear (used to convert a semiautomatic firearm into a fully automatic machine gun), dozens of rounds, 23 magazines and a silencer, according to prosecutors.

During a search of Loftus' residence, officers found firearms and firearms cases, dozens of additional auto sears and a large U.S. flag with Boogaloo symbols, prosecutors said.

The Boogaloos are a loosely organized anti-government group whose adherents believe there will be a civil war against the U.S. government in response to perceived overreach, such as the Second Amendment right to bear arms, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors say that in December 2016, Loftus was placed on a mental health hold under California Welfare Institutions Code and was deemed a danger to himself or others or gravely disabled. Loftus incurred a lifetime prohibition on firearms as a result.

City News Service contributed to this report.