Possible ‘biological laboratory’ leads to large-scale investigation in northeast Las Vegas
A large-scale investigation into a possible biological laboratory at a home in northeast Las Vegas could last for days, local and federal authorities said Saturday.
Metropolitan Police Department SWAT officers, along with the FBI, executed a search warrant at a home near North Hollywood Boulevard and East Washington Avenue just before 6 a.m. Saturday morning, Sheriff Kevin McMahill said in a news conference Saturday afternoon.
The Southern Nevada Health District, with Las Vegas and Clark County firefighters, were also called in to be involved in the investigation, said Christopher Delzotto, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Las Vegas field office.
Capt. Emerson Marcus of the Nevada National Guard confirmed by email Saturday afternoon that the Guard’s 92nd Weapons of Mass Destruction, Civil Support Team was also involved in the investigation. The team’s role in the investigation wasn’t yet clear on Saturday, and officials at Saturday’s news conference said they didn’t yet have a lot of details to offer about the investigation and didn’t take questions.
”There’s a lot of questions that we have that need to be answered,” McMahill said. “There’s a lot of work ahead of us that needs to be done.”
McMahill said investigators found “evidence of possible biological material, including refrigerators with vials containing unknown liquids” inside the home, which is on Sugar Springs Drive.
While McMahill didn’t elaborate on what the possible biological materials could be, he said a suspect had been taken into custody.
“This is an extremely complex investigation,” McMahill said. “This involves multiple agencies and a tremendous amount of resources. I do want to make sure our Southern Nevada community understands that this is an isolated incident with no threat to the public as we stand here today.”
Delzotto said agents from the FBI’s lab in Virginia and from FBI offices in Los Angeles, Phoenix and Sacramento, California, were assisting.
“The ongoing operation taking place right now demonstrates a collaborative effort in every aspect,” Delzotto said.
At about 2 p.m. Saturday, several law enforcement vehicles could be seen at Washington and Sugar Springs. Later, Bob Simpson, who lives in the nearby Heritage Hills development, said he noticed the police activity in the area, but wasn’t aware of what it was for.
“Sometimes, stuff like this happens in places where you don’t expect it,” Simpson said.
Another area resident, Memo Ceja, said the neighborhood was mostly quiet, except for the occasional street racers who zoom up and down some nearby main roads. He said a news reporter told him that the activity had to do with a lab of some sort.
“I don’t know anything other than that,” Ceja said. “I’ll have to wait and find out.”
McMahill said residents in the area of where the search warrant was executed should prepare for law enforcement to remain in the area for hours or even days.
In a news release Saturday, Metro said investigators at the scene would be wearing protective gear “in case any hazardous materials” were found inside the home.
FBI agents, McMahill said, also investigated a second home in the area, though no suspicious materials were found.
Contact Bryan Horwath at bhorwath@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BryanHorwath on X.
