Federal authorities were investigating a bomb threat at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena on Saturday after an evacuation was prompted by a caller who allegedly identified himself as a member of the extremist online group 764.
The call was received at around 5:50 a.m. Friday, according to Pasadena spokeswoman Lisa Derderian.
The Pasadena Police Department said the caller claimed multiple explosive devices had been placed throughout the hospital and alleged that two additional suspects were heading to the facility in a stolen vehicle. The caller also claimed the suspects intended to shoot people with automatic rifles.
Officers responded to the hospital and worked with security to secure all entrances while establishing a strong law enforcement presence around the facility.
Police set up a command post in the parking lot of a nearby business and called in multiple K9 units. The Pasadena Fire Department also responded and remained on standby to assist if needed.
Pasadena and Glendale police K9 units searched and cleared all publicly accessible areas of the hospital but found no explosive devices, police said.
As a precaution, incoming emergency traffic was diverted to nearby hospitals after the bomb threat was reported. Once the hospital was deemed safe, normal operations resumed.
The hospital was declared safe shortly after 9 a.m. Friday.
Although no one was injured in Friday’s threat, Derderian said such incidents are “very disruptive” and divert valuable resources from law enforcement and fire response teams.
The FBI has described 764 as “a violent online group made-up of individuals who seek to coerce and manipulate children into engaging in unspeakable acts against themselves, animals, and other children, even suicide.”
Members of the group exist throughout the United States and around the world and operate on social media, gaming apps and online platforms, authorities said. Officials added that the group is also known to engage in “swatting” — placing false emergency calls to trigger armed police raids.
Southern California has previously been targeted by swatting calls involving hospitals. In April, a bomb threat at Southern California Hospital in the Culver City area prompted a response from explosives-detection K-9 units and was ultimately determined to be a swatting incident. No explosive device was found.