After the Palisades fire, employees of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power reported to the police about the incidents that caused an uproar within the company.
Just after noon Wednesday, police responded to Mulholland Drive in Beverly Crest after someone threatened a DWP worker who was working on a downed utility pole, LA Police Department officials said.
A man who was driving a gray Mercedes-Benz drove until he threatened to injure himself. A DWP worker called 911, and by the time police responded, the person had left the area, police said.
On Tuesday, police were alerted at around 19:00 about a man possibly armed with a gun at the DWP headquarters, in the John Ferraro Building on Hope Street. No details were given about what happened during the incident.
Police searched the area and arrested a man matching the description of the suspect. The police determined that the man was going home with dinner and flowers for his wife.
Additional officers answered the call, canvassed the area, and did not find the weapon. No one has been arrested yet.
“We can confirm that there are threats against our staff,” said a DWP spokesperson. “We take all threats and incidents seriously and immediately report them to law enforcement. ”
Calling its staff “an important part of the city’s family,” a DWP spokesman added: “Our staff work tirelessly around the clock to support the city’s response, and their work is essential to that effort.”
Since the Palisades fire, the DWP has been one of many city and county agencies to face public scrutiny and criticism. The state provides water and electric service to 4.1 million residents of LA, including Pacific Palisades.
Late on the first night of the Palisades fire, firefighters reported that they were having trouble getting water from several hydrants. The agency said the high demand from the wildfires disrupted the water system, which has happened in other areas facing large fires, and that about 20% of the water mains in the Palisades lost pressure.
The DWP also faced criticism for the empty Santa Ynez lake, in the middle of the Palisades burn. The lake was drained about a year ago to repair its floating cover, which has not yet been completed.
Former DWP general manager Martin Adams told The Times that he believed the reservoir would have helped increase water pressure in the Palisades but would not have prevented the inevitable fall in pressure from the wildfires.
Times staff writer Matt Hamilton contributed to this report.
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