A Santa Monica resident was arrested Saturday after allegedly making a bomb threat near the Coachella Music and Arts Festival, which drew over 100,000 attendees for its opening weekend.
According to the Cathedral City Police Department (CCPD), 40-year-old Davis Darvish was taken into custody after he reportedly approached security personnel at the Agua Caliente Casino and threatened to carry out a bombing. The casino, situated approximately 17 miles from the Empire Polo Club — the site of the Coachella festival — promptly contacted law enforcement following the incident around 11 a.m.
Police swiftly identified Darvish’s vehicle, a Tesla, and employed FLOCK ALPR (automated license plate recognition) technology to monitor its movement across the Coachella Valley. Cathedral City authorities notified security teams at the festival, while Palm Springs police located the car and detained Darvish just over an hour later at 12:11 p.m.
No explosives, weapons, or bomb-making materials were found either in Darvish’s possession or in his vehicle, CCPD confirmed in a statement released Saturday evening.
Darvish was booked into the John Benoit Detention Center in Indio, with bail set at $1 million. The investigation remains ongoing.
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