News

Actions

Iowa State Trooper credited with preventing potential Google headquarters attack

Posted at 3:56 PM, Mar 14, 2019
and last updated 2019-03-14 16:03:01-04

ADAIR Co., Iowa — An Iowa State Trooper is being credited for potentially stopping an attack on Google’s headquarters in California.

Upset that his YouTube channel had been shut down, Kyle Long was traveling from his home in Maine to San Francisco to confront Google officials.

Last Friday, he crashed into a ditch on I-80 and, while speaking with Trooper Ryan Zenor, dropped details of his plans.

“Had we not encountered this individual or had he not gone in the ditch Friday morning on the interstate, who knows what would have happened. He had the intent to go there with some baseball bats and told some people that if the meeting didn’t go well with Google and his YouTube channel back up and running he was going to resort to some physical violence,” said Sgt. Nathan Ludwig with the Iowa State Patrol.

Related: New cyber security threats putting Americans at risk

Ludwig said they checked in with law enforcement in Long’s Maine hometown and police were well aware of him – which Ludwig says was a good indicator of what type of person they were dealing with.

Long allegedly trashed a bathroom at the Kum & Go in Adair but the store decided not to press charges, so officials couldn’t hold him.

Trooper Zenor notified authorities in California about the situation and Long was arrested Sunday in California. He is charged with making criminal threats.