The Ruby Ridge saga in 1992 is a seminal event in American history, having become a symbol of government overreach,

and serving as a natural precursor to the Waco tragedy in 1993.

For that reason, we're going to take a slight detour in our ongoing coverage of the Branch Davidian story

to briefly touch upon this one, and how it ultimately had an effect on the events unfolding down in Waco, Texas.

The story of Ruby Ridge began with Randy Weaver, a former factory worker and military veteran, his wife Vicki and their children.

The Weaver's moved to a remote cabin on Ruby Ridge in Northern Idaho in the early 1980s, seeking to live off the grid and escape what they perceived as a corrupt society.

Randy became increasingly involved in white supremacist and anti-government groups, eventually attending meetings of the Aryan Nations, a neo-Nazi organization in the late 1980s.

The ATF began investigating Randy Weaver in 1989 due to his connections with the Aryan Nations and suspicions of illegal weapons possession.

In 1990, undercover ATF agent Kenneth Fadley posed as a weapons dealer and infiltrated the Aryan Nations, befriending Randy Weaver in the process.

Fadley convinced Weaver to sell him two illegal sawdoth shotguns in October of 1990, which led to Weaver's arrest in January of 1991.

Weaver was released on bail and ordered to appear in court the next month, February of 1991.

However, due to a clerical error, he received a letter with the wrong court date and subsequently missed his hearing.

A bench warrant was issued for his arrest and Randy Weaver became a fugitive, vowing to not be taken alive.

Before reserting the force, the US Marshal Service made several attempts to persuade Randy Weaver to turn himself in.

In August of 1991, they sent civilian negotiator Bo Gritz to Ruby Ridge, who met with Weaver's daughters but was unable to make contact with Randy or his wife Vicki.

Gritz later claimed that Randy Weaver was ready to surrender but changed his mind when he learned that a federal grand jury had already indicted him on charges related to the missed court date.

Having long believed that there was a conspiracy to imprison or kill him, Randy Weaver decided that he wasn't going to submit.

In early 1992, the US Marshal Service began planning a tactical operation to apprehend Randy Weaver.

They conducted extensive surveillance of the Weaver property, often observing the family from concealed positions in the surrounding forest.

In August of 1992, the Marshal Service finally decided to move in, embarking on the operation they had dubbed Northern Exposure, thus beginning the infamous Ruby Ridge siege.

On the morning of August 21st, 1992, a team of six US Marshal's led by Deputy Marshal Arthur Roderick arrived at Ruby Ridge to scout the area and planned the arrest of Randy Weaver.

An unplanned confrontation ensued between the Marshal's, Randy Weaver, his 14-year-old son Sammy and family friend Kevin Harris.

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