Jack Burns–Pedro and Denise Mejia feel lucky to be alive after they were nearly murdered when their all-terrain vehicle broke down and they said they were confronted by federal officers from the Bureau of Land Management who opened fire with on them with no warning.

The couple was exploring the deserts of Joshua Tree National Park when their ATV got a flat tire. They said that because they did not have a spare, they were traveling much slower than they would if they had four properly inflated tires. At around 11:00 p.m. on June 10, they came face to face with federal agents whom the Mejias said immediately opened fire on them. In a hail of bullets, Denise was struck in the head and hand before BLM agents ceased fire. Predictably, police are telling a different story.

press release issued by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, who is investigating the shooting, claimed that the Mejias were in a restricted area and failed to heed BLM officer commands to stop:

What the ...? I have never heard of such a thing! To read more, click here.