2003 standoff in Abbeville, South Carolina

Common card · No. 246871

On December 8, 2003, a 14-hour standoff and shootout took place in Abbeville, South Carolina, United States, between alleged extremists and self-proclaimed "sovereign citizens" Arthur, Rita, and their son Steven Bixby; and members of the Abbeville city police department, the Abbeville County sheriff's office, the South Carolina Highway Patrol, the South Carolina Department of Transportation, and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. The standoff resulted in the deaths of two law enforcement officers, after which Rita and Steven were found guilty of various charges. Arthur was found mentally incompetent to stand trial and died in a mental facility in 2011. Rita died of cancer in prison less than a week after her husband. Steven is on death row awaiting execution pending appeals.

Read on Wikipedia