Las Vegas police investigate car crash at power substation as terrorism

Las Vegas authorities are investigating a car that rammed into a power substation on February 19, describing the incident as a “terrorism-related event.”

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill said during a news conference on February 20 that there is no ongoing threat to the public, Caliber.Az cites US media. 

Police received a 911 call at 10 a.m. on February 19 reporting a vehicle had crashed through a secured gate at the substation in Boulder City, approximately 25 miles (40 kilometres) southeast of Las Vegas, McMahill said.

The driver was identified as 23-year-old Dawson Maloney from Albany, New York, who died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

“The man had communicated with family before the crash, referencing self-harm, and said he was going to commit an act that would place him on the news. He referred to himself as a terrorist in a message sent to his mother,” police said.

Authorities discovered explosive materials and multiple books “related to extremist ideologies” in Maloney’s hotel room, McMahill added.

“These findings significantly elevate the seriousness of this incident.”

The books reportedly included works on right- and left-wing extremism, environmental extremism, white supremacism, and anti-government ideology.

Maloney was listed as a student at Albany Law School, class of 2027, and had previously been an honors student at Siena University in New York.

By Sabina Mammadli