NewsNational

Actions

Report: Spy plane monitored protest where Guard head lives

DC Guard to investigate helicopter maneuvers to show force
Posted at 8:29 PM, Oct 18, 2020
and last updated 2020-10-18 23:28:59-04

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A peaceful protest in a sleepy suburb that’s home to the head of the California National Guard was among four demonstrations monitored by National Guard spy planes. That's according to a report by the Los Angeles Times.

The four planes took to the skies over cities in June to monitor protests following the killing of George Floyd. Three watched demonstrations in Minneapolis, Phoenix and Washington, D.C.

But the target of the fourth was the Sacramento, California, suburb of El Dorado Hills.

Authorities have not explained how and why that neighborhood was chosen when other cities that had seen property destruction and street clashes were not.

The head of the California National Guard, Maj. Gen. David S. Baldwin, lives in El Dorado Hills, according to the Times. Baldwin told the Times that he didn't recall whether he approved the mission and his residence had "nothing to do with" the deployment.