Man charged with attempted murder after allegedly throwing Molotov cocktail at OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's home
No one was injured in the incident outside Altman's San Francisco residence.
A Texas man who is accused of throwing a Molotov cocktail at OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's house and then attacking the company's San Francisco headquarters faces multiple charges, including attempted murder, officials announced.
The suspect -- 20-year-old Daniel Moreno-Gama -- was allegedly caught on video surveillance outside the CEO's home in San Francisco, according to federal court records.
He has been charged with attempted murder for the alleged premeditated plot to kill Altman, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said. He faces a second count of attempted murder for the security guard who was at Altman's home at the time, she said.
Moreno-Gama has also been charged with multiple counts related to arson and possession of a destructive device in connection with the incidents at Altman's residence and OpenAI's headquarters, Jenkins said.
He faces 19 years to life in prison if convicted of the state charges, the district attorney said.
Following his initial court appearance on the state charges on Tuesday, an attorney for Moreno-Gama said the suspect has a history of mental illness and argued that he has been overcharged.
"Our defense team is just now beginning our investigation, and what's becoming clear is that Daniel's actions appear to have been driven by an acute mental health crisis," public defender Diamond Ward told reporters outside the courtroom. "This case is clearly overcharged. This case is a property crime, at best."
Jenkins, the district attorney, countered that it is "very clear that this was a targeted attack" on Altman and said she doesn't have any evidence that the suspect has a mental health issue.
"It wouldn't matter if this was a billionaire or a CEO or any average San Franciscan -- if somebody comes here with the intent to commit murder and attempts to effectuate that murder, that is a case that we will take extremely seriously, and we will charge accordingly," Jenkins told reporters outside the courtroom Tuesday.
Additionally, Moreno-Gama has been charged with two federal counts -- damage and destruction of property by means of explosives and possession of an unregistered firearm, officials said Monday.
"We are at the beginning of this investigation, but if the evidence shows that Mr. Moreno-Gama executed these attacks to change public policy or to coerce government or other officials, we will treat this as an act of domestic terrorism, and together with our partners, prosecute him to the fullest extent of the law," Craig Missakian, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California, said during Monday's press briefing.
Around 4 a.m. Friday, the suspect allegedly "threw an incendiary destructive device" at Altman's house, which sparked a fire on an exterior gate, San Francisco police said. No one was injured, police said.
The suspect was arrested about an hour later outside OpenAI's headquarters, where he was allegedly threatening to burn down the building, according to police.
The officers who took the subject into custody "immediately recognized him as the same individual from the earlier incident" at Altman's residence, Luke Martin, the deputy chief of investigations for the San Francisco Police Department, said during Monday's press briefing.
Moreno-Gama, who allegedly had kerosene in his backpack, was seen trying to hit the building's glass with a chair, according to court documents.
He was also allegedly in possession of additional incendiary devices and a lighter, Martin said.
Federal prosecutors said they also found a document in which Moreno-Gama allegedly expressed anti-AI-executive sentiments.
He allegedly had a list of names and addresses of apparent board members and chief executive officers of AI companies and investors.
"MORENO-GAMA stated he 'killed /attempted to kill' Victim-1,” court documents said. “MORENO-GAMA also wrote, 'Also if I am going to advocate for others to kill and commit crimes, then I must lead by example and show that I am fully sincere in my message.'"
The suspect is currently in custody in the San Francisco County Jail. His arraignment on the state charges, initially scheduled for Tuesday, has been pushed to May 5.
Prior to the incident, Moreno-Gama was working part-time at a pizzeria and attending community college, according to Ward.
In a separate incident, two people have been arrested for allegedly firing shots at Altman's house on Sunday morning, police said.
At this time, there is no evidence to suggest that the Molotov cocktail and shooting incidents are related, San Francisco Police Chief Derrick Lew said Monday.
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