The Board of Supervisors has approved a pair of $20,000 reward offers for information leading to the conviction of the person or people who made two bomb threats in January targeting Charles R. Drew University in the Watts-Willowbrook area.
The medical school was targeted first on Jan. 11, following similar threats that were received at nine Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)across the country. The threat to Charles Drew was sent via email by a self-professed neo-Nazi who said multiple explosives were planted on the campus.
The second threat was made via phone call on Jan. 31, with the caller saying a bomb would be detonated on the campus. Both threats prompted law enforcement searches that found no evidence of any explosive devices.
The initial threat forced a closure of the campus. The campus remained open following the second threat, although the number of people on campus was limited due to hybrid learning protocols due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
County Supervisor Holly Mitchell introduced the motion to make the $20,000 reward offers, condemning the threats that targeted a university dedicated to producing Black health-care professionals.
