FBI investigates possible terrorist plot after driver tries to ram LADWP substation - Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
by Ruben VivesFebruary 20, 2026
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A man identified as 23-year-old Dawson Noah Maloney of Albany, N.Y., died after attempting to crash his vehicle into a Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) substation near Hoover Dam in Nevada. Authorities believe the incident was an attempted terrorist attack, with Maloney fatally shooting himself following the crash. The substation, which transfers power from Hoover Dam to Los Angeles, sustained minimal damage, and there was no immediate threat to public safety.
Maloney, who had recently been reported missing by his family, drove a Nissan Sentra rental car to the site. Security footage showed him driving through a chain-link fence at the substation. Upon arrival, officers found Maloney deceased in the driver's seat, wearing body armor and alongside multiple firearms, including a shotgun and an AR-style pistol, as well as flamethrowers, a crowbar, and a hatchet. Investigators also recovered materials potentially usable for explosives from his vehicle.
The suspect’s rented car had traveled to Nevada on February 14, with Maloney staying at the El Rancho Boulder Motel near the substation. Evidence found in his hotel room included extremist literature covering ideologies such as white supremacy, anti-government sentiment, and environmental extremism, along with
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Originally published on Los Angeles Times on 2/20/2026