Santa Monica Man Accused of Threat to Bomb Convention

The Secret Service has arrested a man claiming to be a member of a radical fringe group on suspicion of calling in bomb threats to the Democratic Convention and a newspaper, culminating a three-day, high-tech investigation, authorities said Friday.

Lawrence David Meyers, 56, a self-employed publisher, was arrested Thursday night at his Santa Monica apartment.

Meyers allegedly made the two calls Monday afternoon as the convention was getting underway, saying he had placed bombs at Staples Center and the Record-Gazette newspaper in Banning, according to an affidavit filed in federal court Friday. Even though it now appears that no bombs were placed, authorities were taking the matter extremely seriously, said Assistant U.S. Atty. Shannon P. Wright.

“We consider him to be a danger to the community,” Wright said, “because of the gravity of a threat to an event like the DNC, where the president and the vice president and a number of other [Secret Service] protectees are present, in addition to the 20,000 people attending.”

Wright said officials were alarmed that Meyers, claiming to be an American Revolutionary Party member, had a call-blocking function on his cell phone to evade detection.

Meyers was arraigned in federal court Friday afternoon on two felony counts of “maliciously” making a telephonic threat to damage or destroy property by explosive.

Wright asked that he be held without bail, but U.S. Magistrate Judge Carla Woehrle allowed Meyers to be freed on $100,000 bond provided he wear an electronic monitoring device until a Sept. 11 hearing.

“He denied that he made any bomb threats,” Wright said in an interview. “He admitted making 911 calls, to report tires and chains on the freeway.”

Meyers, who faces up to 20 years in prison, said nothing during his arraignment and bail hearing, and calls to his apartment, his lawyer and the newspaper were not returned. Staples referred questions to the Secret Service at its request.

As Meyers was being arraigned Friday afternoon, Secret Service agents searched his apartment--and his computer--looking for evidence of bomb making, mental instability and “writings concerning any anarchist, militia or other government group including, but not limited to, the American Revolutionary Party.”

Wright refused to comment on what might have been found in Meyers’ apartment.

Meyers allegedly made the two phone calls Monday afternoon to a 911 system. The calls were routed to the California Highway Patrol, a Secret Service affidavit signed by Agent Christian F.M. Curry said.

In both calls, Meyers allegedly said there was a bomb--at Staples Center and at the newspaper. In the second call, at about 3:42 p.m., Meyers allegedly identified himself as a member of the revolutionary group.

The CHP notified federal agents at a federal command post at the convention center.

The convention center had been swept for bombs Friday, and authorities determined that it would be impossible to evacuate the entire convention, choosing instead to rely on the elaborate bomb-screening security system that was in place, Wright said.

Secret Service agents began searching for the offending cell phone, using a series of high-tech tools including sensitive monitoring devices and the agency’s Electronic Crimes Special Agent Program.

It took until late Thursday for agents to gather enough evidence to arrest Meyers and seek a search warrant, O’Donnell said.