A Santa Monica man was arrested over the weekend after a false bomb threat was aimed at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, police said.
Davis Darvish, 40, was at the Agua Caliente Casino in Cathedral City on Saturday when, police said, he told casino security that he would be responsible for bombing the popular Riverside County music festival.
The casino is about a 40-minute drive from the Empire Polo Club in Indio, Calif., where the music festival, which typically draws more than 100,000 people, is being held.
Authorities immediately alerted festival police and provided details about the man and the white Tesla he was driving, according to the Cathedral City Police Department.
Officers identified Darvish using DMV information and issued a “Be on the Look-Out” alert. Police said Darvish drove from Cathedral City to Coachella Valley, where authorities used automated license plate readers to track his movement. He arrived in Palm Springs around noon, police said.
Darvish was arrested on suspicion of reporting a false bomb threat. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department bomb squad did not find any weapons or bomb-making materials inside Darvish’s vehicle, police said.
He remains in custody in lieu of $1-million bail. Darvish is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday, according to jail records.
Authorities are continuing to investigate the situation.
Anyone with information is being asked to contact Cathedral City Police Sgt. Rick Osborne at (760) 202-2448 or rosborne@cathedralcity.gov. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Coachella Valley Crime Stoppers at (760) 341-STOP or to the WeTip hotline at (800) 78-CRIME or www.wetip.com.
