FBI agents, a hazmat team, and local law enforcement have surrounded a home in a gated community in Irvine after a landlord reported suspicious activity.
According to NBC Los Angeles, the investigation began Monday when a landlord called the Irvine Police Department to report “suspicious circumstances” at a residence the landlord owned near Cartwheel and Iluna in the gated Altair community.
Officers responded and, after examining the scene, determined that items inside the home required further evaluation. They then called in the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) for assistance from its hazmat unit. The FBI was later notified and took over the investigation.
“The FBI’s Evidence Response Team and Hazardous Evidence Response Team responded to a residence in Irvine, at the request of the Orange County Fire Authority,” the agency said in a statement, as reported by ABC7. “The FBI continues to work this matter jointly with the Irvine Police Department, the Orange County Fire Authority and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. There is no known threat to public safety. As this is an ongoing investigation, we are not able to provide additional information at this time.”
By Wednesday, aerial news footage showed several police cruisers and a staged investigation area established in the neighborhood. Agents in full hazmat gear were seen entering the home and removing unknown items.
KTLA reported that neighbor Ahmed Bajwa, who lives across the street from the home, said he was shocked when authorities descended on the neighborhood.
“Our driveway is blocked off,” Bajwa said. “There are FBI agents parked outside. It just escalated like crazy. The only thing that stayed the same is that they still can’t tell us anything.”
Bajwa said the residents of the home did not appear suspicious to him. “The people who live there were just a family,” he said. “It wasn’t the type of house where people would come and go often. It wasn’t anything that fits what you would think this type of [law enforcement] response would justify.”
Despite officials stating there is no known threat to the community, Bajwa said the heavy law enforcement presence is unsettling for those who live nearby. “Even though they tell you it’s safe, it doesn’t really inspire [feelings of] safety in the people who live there when they see people who are fully kitted out and walking into a house,” he said.
No evacuations have been ordered, and no arrests have been made. Irvine police confirmed the investigation will continue Thursday, and some residents were reportedly told law enforcement could remain in the neighborhood through Saturday.
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