San Marino Man Charged in Weapons Case After Allegedly Driving Through Protesters in Pasadena to Be Released on $10 Million Bond

[Updated] A San Marino man arrested on suspicion of federal weapons charges after driving his flag-draped truck through a crowd of demonstrators in Pasadena in late-May will be released from custody pending trial with conditions including a $10 million bond, GPS-monitoring and the surrender of all firearms, according to the terms of an agreement reached between prosecutors and the defendant on Wednesday.

As terms of his release, Benjamin Jong Ren Hung, 28, will also be required to undergo drug testing, submit to a search of his home at any time, surrender his passport, limit travel to the Central District of California, stay home between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. and refrain from any contact with victims or witnesses related to the investigation, according to court documents.

The bond was to be secured by affidavits of surety signed by Hung’s parents, backed by properties they owned in Pasadena, South Pasadena and Los Angeles, records show.

Prosecutors specified three guns — two rifles and a pistol — that were to be turned over to federal officials by the defendant’s counsel.

Once the terms of the agreement had been met, Hung was expected to be released from custody later this month, U.S. Department of Justice spokesman Thom Mrozek said.

Investigators had already seized more than 30 guns, “including several assault rifles and modified short-barrel rifles that are illegal to possess under federal and state law,” as part of their investigation, according to court documents. More than 70,000 rounds of ammunition and tens of thousands of dollars worth of “tactical assault equipment” were also seized.

Hung was first arrested May 31 after he drove a 4×4 pickup truck he called his “War Rig” through a crowd of Black Lives Matter demonstrators in Pasadena, narrowly missing several, according to officials and court documents.

Pasadena police arrested him after finding a loaded handgun in his truck, along with items including a machete, a metal pipe and a megaphone, police said at the time. He was released a short time later after posting a $30,000 bond.

But he drew the attention of federal investigators, who arrested Hung again in September on federal charges of conspiracy to transport firearms across state lines and making a false statement in the acquisition of firearms.

Investigators have determined Hung was stockpiling a cache of illegal and unregistered weapons and participating in a group calling themselves “Shooters of the Nest,” using a portion of his parents’ vineyard in Lodi as a training center, prosecutors allege.

Hung and his group “wrote about their efforts to train for urban combat, and their desire to amass an arsenal to confront and kill members of ‘Antifa,’” according to a court filing made by prosecutors.

Additional charges against Hung were being considered, federal officials said.

The bond agreement between Hung and prosecutors came the day of a scheduled detention review hearing, in which Hung had been expected to dispute a judge’s previous order that he be held without bond pending trial due to an ongoing threat posed to the public.

A trial was scheduled for Dec. 8, Mrozek said.

See also:

Court Documents Outline Plotting, Weapon Stockpiling by San Marino Man Accused of Driving Truck Into Protesters in Pasadena

Man Who Allegedly Drove Truck at Demonstrators in Old Pasadena Will Remain Jailed

Old Pasadena Truck Attack Suspect Pleads Not Guilty

Man Accused of Truck Attack on Protesters in Pasadena Arrested in Federal Weapons Case