FBI agents searched the home of a Los Angeles deputy mayor on Tuesday in connection to a bomb threat he’s accused of making targeting City Hall earlier this year.
The Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement Wednesday that it suspects Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Brian Williams was the “likely” source of the bomb threat, the Los Angeles Times reported. The exact date of the threat is unknown.
“Our initial investigation revealed that the source of the threat was likely from Brian Williams, Deputy Mayor for Public Safety. Due to the Department’s working relationship with Mr. Williams, the investigation was referred to the FBI. The FBI remains the investigating agency,” the LAPD statement said.
Mayor Karen Bass selected Williams for the role in 2023, at which point he began overseeing the police department, the fire department and more. Williams has held multiple government positions, including as a deputy mayor under Jim Hahn in the early 2000s.
Deputy Mayor of Communications Zach Seidl told HuffPost that the mayor’s office is aware of the allegation that Williams made the threat and that he was “immediately placed on administrative leave.”
“The Mayor takes this matter very seriously,” Seidl said in a statement. “When the threat was reported, LAPD investigated and determined there was no immediate danger.”
HuffPost reached out to the LAPD and the FBI in Los Angeles for comment but did not receive an immediate response.