Sutra Sandwiches — Reconnaissance and Unscheduled Contacts - Sat, Nov 17, 2018

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Report No: GT/GL-181117-056250828

Location: Los Angeles, CA

Agents:

Summary: Following widespread uploads of a death video believed authentic, the Program assembled Booth, McCarter, and Jay in Los Angeles to assess for an unnatural vector, contain evidence, and mitigate public risk. The decedent was identified as community activist/podcaster Jaz Ihejirika. While staging at the Wilshire Federal Building and then moving to the geotagged scene (Sutra Ave), the team encountered multiple anomalous cues converging on Sutra Sandwiches (mass small-bird deaths delivering the shop’s flyers; synchronized in-store TV anomalies) and made contact with two unforeseen persons: (1) Justin Smith, a young programmer who reported a compulsion toward the Agents and described past exposure to an entity he calls the “Hushfather,” and (2) Philomena Farrington-Cowles, a British national claiming to be Graham Drummond’s cousin, in possession of a packet of “esoteric” documents just retrieved from a Los Angeles safe-deposit box. The session concluded with the group exfiltrating the sandwich shop to continue the discussion off-site.

Operation Report:

Analysis and Recommendations:

Session Notes
  • Recap and immediate setup (Los Angeles, November 2018)
    • The Handler opens with a recap of the aftermath of the Avalon Gardens operation in Greeley, Colorado:
      • Frank Booth returned home; already partly sidelined in his career, he becomes entirely sidelined. During downtime he launders cash and gives a duffel with a large sum to Ellie Drummond, anticipating Graham Drummond might come to take her away.
      • Matthew McCarter transitions from patient to prisoner under oversight by Jay; they become close.
      • Two figures had been glimpsed previously: Philomena Farrington-Cowles (received a letter about items in a Los Angeles safe deposit box) and Justin Smith (a drug-using young man who felt drawn by a map to Los Angeles).
      • Frank experienced a late-night TV anomaly: his TV played The Naked Gun but only the parts where someone shouted “Frank.” He then received a text from Ethan Spicer (Los Angeles coworker) with a horrific video of a man suffering a seizure, peeling his flesh, and tearing his own head. Frank escalated to AUSA Antonia Pitzerelli.
    • Deployment to Los Angeles:
      • Within ~a day of Frank’s alert, Frank, Matthew, and Jay are directed to the Wilshire Federal Building for a briefing in Secure Meeting Room 3 (basement), set at approximately 10:00 AM.

  • Meeting with AUSA Antonia Pitzerelli (Wilshire Federal Building, Secure Meeting Room 3)

    • Antonia Pitzerelli greets Frank; she appears stressed, working with papers, and spills coffee while talking.

    • She asks Frank if he knew about Graham Drummond’s actions:

      • Drummond had set up a dead man’s switch that released a cache of documents to journalists and lawyers. The most sensitive parts were unbelievable but dangerous; containment is ongoing.

    • Leadership view of Working Group MASTICATE:

      • There is internal disagreement: some think McCarter’s ability, if developed, could be a game changer; others suspect something “infectious” may have taken hold among the original four in MASTICATE (odd coincidences, animals acting strangely, animal attacks; Frank was previously bitten by a cat).
      • Frank is being painted with the same brush. Leadership is unsure whether to handle him like McCarter or do something else.
      • Pitzerelli’s advice: deliver a big win; Reno was solid; Colorado’s effects were good but had problematic public exposure (politics).

    • Operational brief (target incident and tasking):

      • Incident time: just before midnight on November 14, 2018.
      • Incident: A man suffered a violent seizure on a sidewalk in Los Angeles and died under extremely strange circumstances.
      • Exposure: 7–10 witnesses; multiple videos exist. Agencies are working to remove them; some mirrored on dark web.
      • Your task: Investigate the death, determine whether there’s an unnatural vector or population threat, mitigate it, remove evidence, and protect lives. They are confident the video is real (multi-angle/timestamp consistency).
      • Identity: Facial recognition yields a name: Jaz Ihejirika (later database step refers once as “Hijarica”; the dossier search proceeds for the same individual).

    • Covers, tools, and logistics provided:

      • FBI consultant ID cards for three (clearly labeled “no law enforcement authority”).
      • Burner phones.
      • Secure room is RF-shielded (Wi-Fi/cellular blocked) for sensitive storage; unshielded office across the hall has a laptop (no password) for non-classified work and terminals with federal database access.
      • A desktop PC in the secure room holds recovered video files for review.
      • Vehicle: keys to a Ford Expedition Max from the federal fleet (note: it’s an FBI vehicle; exercise discretion).
      • Pitzerelli notes she is leaving town later that day but is reachable by phone.

    • Team composition:

      • Jay offers to step up beyond his prior role; he states he can help and has training. Pitzerelli hasn’t been told of a formal promotion but authorizes him to assist. Jay reveals USMC background (Afghanistan infantry); he has first aid/pharmacy/medicine skills.

  • Video review (secure room)

    • Frank explains he already saw and forwarded the video to Pitzerelli.

    • The group watches the security camera video (approx. 3 minutes), view across a street at night:

      • A tall, sturdy Black man in dark clothing stumbles into a parked car (alarm sounds). Bystanders record with phones; two approach to help but are pushed back by his violent thrashing.
      • ~30 seconds in, he tears pieces of his skin, peels his face, reaches into his sinus cavity, and tears his skull apart. His scalp snaps and sags under the pressure; he shudders and collapses.
      • Within ~45 seconds of collapse, an LA County Sheriff’s Department cruiser arrives; a deputy begins to exit as the video ends.
      • The video was uploaded to YouTube with the title “Shook on Dat Sauce (Crazy OD)”. The underlying file name appears as “Sutra Sand, 14-11-2018, 23-10-2013.”

    • Jay’s medical analysis (Medicine 16):

      • He states the actions depicted are biologically implausible: pain and muscle-contraction pathways would prevent sustaining that level of self-harm strength over time.
      • He posits possibilities such as extreme dissociation or a severe drug cocktail that eliminates pain yet preserves strength; he volunteers to research drug interactions.

  • Open-source & database research (unshielded office)

    • Jay uses the laptop to research potential drug interactions that could explain the behavior.

    • Frank logs into federal databases to build a dossier on Jaz Ihejirika:

      • DOB: 1987; parents (Nigerian immigrants) died in a 2007 upstate New York car accident.
      • Relocated to Los Angeles in 2010.
      • Work/life: prolific online presence; community organizer and activist in L.A. protest movements.
      • Income (tax records): supported himself via podcasts, speaking engagements, and consulting.
      • Podcast: Off the Brim (monthly interview format; video version on YouTube); latest episode uploaded November 1.
      • Criminal record (California): 2× marijuana possession, 3× unlawful assembly, and numerous temporary detainments dating back to Occupy.
      • Social media: posting tone/behavior consistent leading up to death; no obvious signs of heavy psychotic or stimulant use.
      • Personal: appears to have been dating someone until a couple of months prior; relationship seems to have ended.

    • Video metadata review (Matthew in the secure room):

      • Four videos total: three cell-phone videos and one security camera clip.
      • Geolocation data across the files aligns to the same location.
      • The security camera clip’s file name includes the string “Sutra Sand”; the phone videos have algorithmic file names.
      • Coordinates point to a site on Sutra Avenue (south Los Angeles, near Leimert Park). The security camera appears to be mounted over an exterior seating area.

    • Additional checks by Frank:

      • Runs federal records on Ethan Spicer (the texter): employed by the Los Angeles Bureau of Street Services; no criminal record; otherwise minimal/ordinary profile.
      • Looks up the “Frank Boothe” / “Frank Booth with an ‘e’” doppelgänger reference; no consequential details recorded in the search results during this session.
      • Pulls identities/addresses for several video-uploading witnesses (addresses cluster within several blocks of the site; lifelong Angelenos). No immediate follow-up conducted.

  • Garage omen (federal garage, before departure)

    • At the Expedition Max, the team finds a small heap of periwinkle-blue flyers on the ground near the driver’s side and an equally sized scatter of small dead birds.
    • While they watch, a small bird flies in carrying another flyer, strikes the vehicle, dies, and the flyer falls onto the pile.
    • The flyers advertise “Sutra Sandwiches” on North Sutra Avenue (full address printed).
    • The team interprets this as a cue and decides to go to Sutra Sandwiches.

  • Site visit: Sutra Sandwiches (lunch hour)

    • Traffic delays their arrival until after noon (lunch rush).
    • Interior: “aggressively forgettable” décor—mustard-yellow walls needing paint; buzzing fluorescents; TVs in corners running without sound; vinegar/cleaner smell.
    • Exterior seating: The team identifies a security camera over the outdoor seating, consistent with the security-camera perspective in the reviewed footage.
    • Across the street: chain-link fence along the sidewalk; beyond it a soccer field. Based on the footage, the victim came from the right (as viewed from the sandwich shop).
    • Jay orders food for the table while Frank and Matthew take a seat.

  • Television anomaly in the shop

    • All TVs emit a shriek of static, then flicker; a Best Friends Animal Adoption Center ad appears above a young man in a dark hoodie eating a sandwich (Justin, seated elsewhere):

      • Golden retriever on the screen with the slogan “Your new best friend.”
      • The dog bounds out of frame and appears on the next TV, now part of an insurance commercial showing a family; slogan “Someone you can trust.”
      • All screens then convulse into a rapid strobe of open-mouthed, screaming faces (men, women, children). At the center: a hamburger with grease dripping; slogan “Satisfy Your Craving.”
      • Lights flare brightly; after a moment, everything returns to normal; customers seem confused, then resume lunch.

  • Philomena and Justin converge on the team (Sutra Sandwiches)

    • Philomena:

      • Having just left the bank with a string-tied envelope from the safe deposit box, she stopped at Sutra Sandwiches for lunch and opened it.
      • She pulls two photographs and realizes they depict Frank Booth and Matthew McCarter, seated two tables away.

    • Justin:

      • Feels a familiar low hum/hidden signal pulling him; he recognizes Frank, Matthew, and also senses the red-haired woman (Philomena). He believes “they’re the ones.”
      • He sheepishly waves and approaches the table, asking to join them.

  • Initial exchange with Justin

    • Matthew asks who he is and why he’s here; Justin says he feels a deep, non-rational compulsion (fate/coincidence) to be here and help them.

    • Assessments:

      • Matthew attempts to read him and critically fails (96 vs 75); he gets a “loon” impression.
      • Frank perceives earnestness and a deep-held belief rather than delusion.

    • Justin’s background (as recounted at the table):

      • Childhood: Raised by addict parents who bred dogs; he was sometimes kept in a cage and was largely nonverbal; during that time he felt close to a higher being he calls the “Hushfather.”
      • Break & reconnection: After he learned to speak, he lost that connection and felt emptiness; he has since found a way to medically induce reconnection (through drugs).
      • Pivotal incident: One night, his father (high) forgot to lock the cage. Justin tried to free the dogs and run; his father caught him, but the dogs—especially a golden retriever named “Butters”—attacked and killed his father. The retriever matches the dog seen in the TV anomaly.
      • Aftermath: He was later raised by his grandmother. He believes the Hushfather wants him to help Booth and McCarter. He cautions he may not remember much while under the influence that enables his connection.

  • Philomena approaches

    • After the group turns to look at her, Philomena comes over and asks Frank and Matthew if they know Graham Drummond; she states Drummond is her cousin.
    • She shows two photographs (from the envelope) of Frank and Matthew (images appear to be from their operations; consistent with Reno timing).
    • She explains she received a missive directing her to the safe deposit box with esoteric documents; she and Drummond had once shared an interest in such topics but took different paths.
    • On the contents’ location/security, she says they are safe but does not disclose where.

  • Frank’s disclosures and warning to Philomena

    • Frank quietly tells Philomena he is CIA, which is how he knew Drummond.
    • He politely requests to see the envelope’s contents at some point and warns that, depending on what’s in them, she may have a difficult time leaving the country; he emphasizes this is not a threat but a likely outcome and that her cousin has pulled her into something serious.

  • Matthew’s critical misstep and the mark on Philomena

    • Matthew suddenly stands and pulls down Philomena’s collar a few inches at the back of her neck, exposing a fresh red mark:

      • He observes three fresh, red scratches across and down the spine at the base of her neck.
      • Philomena swats his hand away, stands, and nearby patrons notice the confrontation.

    • Matthew sits and states “She’s one of us.” Justin nods in agreement. Frank admonishes Matthew for assaulting someone to make his point.

  • Exit

    • With attention on their table and multiple threads converging (Justin’s approach, Philomena’s documents, and the site lead), Frank suggests they wrap their food to go and continue the conversation elsewhere.
    • The group leaves Sutra Sandwiches together; the scene ends as the door swings shut with the bell.

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