The suspected gunman on the run after riddling a Tennessee Waffle House with bullets dubbed himself a "sovereign citizen," before being arrested in July 2017 outside the White House.  





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It's unknown if Reinking's 2017 sovereign citizen self-designation was in line with the FBI's definition or if it played any role in the Antioch, TN Waffle House attack, which left four dead. 

A motive has not been released and investigators are continuing to probe Reinking's background, which includes several past incidents with law enforcement. 

In June 2017, Reinking threatened someone with an AR-15 then drove to a public pool and exposed himself to others, said the USA TODAY Network's Tennessean, citing police records. He has also threatened to kill himself and said he thought singer Taylor Swift was stalking him, according to the Associated Press



Many sovereign citizens are harmless or commit petty or "quirky" crimes but some have been known to become violent, the FBI says

The bureau says usually, these individuals believe the law doesn't apply to them and don't have to pay taxes or follow other norms. They believe governments are illegal and gravitate to conspiracy theories. 

"If someone challenges their ideology, the behavior of these sovereign-citizen extremists quickly can escalate to violence," the FBI said in 2010, noting the movement is likely to continue to grow because it is "fueled by the Internet."  


"Do what you need to do. Arrest me if you have too," he said, according to the report. 


The SPLC notes these individuals usually take part in protests against governments or use "paper terrorism," which is filing bogus lawsuits and fake liens on properties, to carry out their mission of disorder.

But sometimes, these individuals have gotten violent. 

The gunman police say killed three law enforcement officers in Baton Rouge, LA in 2016 amid heightened tensions between members of the black community and law enforcement also identified as a sovereign citizen.

A 2014 study of law enforcement across the country by the National Consortium For the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism found officers perceived these individuals as "the greatest threats to their communities," topping Islamic extremists. 

Follow Christal Hayes on Twitter: Journo_Christal


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