Police: Teens driven by racial hatred targeted BLM leader

Authorities say three teenagers driven by racial hatred were behind hoax calls that brought major police responses to the home of a leading Black Lives Matter activist in Los Angeles.

The teenagers, aged 13 to 16, connected over the Discord chat platform and are suspects in more than 30 bomb threats and so-called “swatting” incidents across the country, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Swatting refers to a phony emergency call made to attract police to a particular address without cause.

They are accused of perpetrating two fake swatting calls — one this past September and another in August 2021 — at the LA home of Melina Abdullah, co-founder of BLM-LA and a Cal State Los Angeles professor.