Police in Chula Vista, California filed an emergency protective order more than a year before a mosque attack after concerns about a teen’s behavior. The order sought to remove dozens of firearms from the teen’s home. The teen’s father declined officers’ request to confirm proper storage and instead removed the weapons himself. The teen later attacked the Islamic Center of San Diego with another teen while wearing tactical gear with neo-Nazi insignia, killing three men before both attackers died. A family statement said the teen was radicalized in hateful online spaces, was on the autism spectrum, and had multiple rehabilitation stints. Police continued investigating motives and whether the attack could have been prevented.
"Police in Chula Vista, California, wrote in the January 2025 emergency protective order that Caleb Vazquez "was involved in suspicious behavior idolizing Nazis and mass shooters." They sought to remove weapons from Vazquez's home, but his father, Marco Vazquez, would not allow officers to confirm the firearms were being stored properly, the order states. Instead, the father "respectfully" declined the request and voluntarily removed the weapons himself."
"On Monday, Vazquez, 18, and Cain Clark, 17, attacked the Islamic Center of San Diego while dressed in tactical gear bearing insignia prominent in neo-Nazi circles, shooting three men before killing themselves in a car nearby, according to police. A statement released by the Vazquez family lawyer Thursday night said the teen was radicalized in hateful spaces online. Vazquez was on the autism spectrum, according to the statement, and struggled with accepting and resenting "parts of his own identity.""
"That led to "his descent into radicalized ideologies and violent beliefs," the family wrote. Vazquez's parents said they had taken steps to address his "mental instability." He had multiple stints at rehabilitation centers, according to the statement. "We will forever live with the burden of wondering whether there was more we could have done to help prevent this senseless tragedy," the family said."
"Police are still investigating what drove Vazquez and Carter to target the mosque. But the fact that authorities and the parents were aware of Vazquez's previous behavior raises questions about whether the attack could have been thwarted. His father said in a court af"
#gun-removal-order #neo-nazi-radicalization #islamic-center-attack #california-policing #mental-health-and-autism
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