San Francisco police swept up a 20-year-old man early Friday morning after a chaotic hour-long spree that began with a firebombing at the home of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and ended with a standoff at the tech company’s headquarters.
The incident kicked off around 4:12 a.m. in the North Beach neighborhood. Officers arrived at a private residence to find an exterior gate on fire, the result of what investigators called an “incendiary destructive device.”
While police didn’t officially name the homeowner in their report, internal dispatcher audio was more blunt: “Someone threw a Molotov cocktail slash sticky bomb at the gate of Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI’s residence.”
The suspect vanished into the night on foot, but he didn’t stay under the radar for long. Less than an hour later, at 5:07 a.m., 911 calls originated from the 1400 block of 3rd Street—the site of OpenAI’s corporate offices. A man was reportedly standing outside the building, threatening to burn it to the ground.
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When officers arrived at the headquarters, they realized the man matched the description from the North Beach firebombing perfectly. He was detained on the spot.
OpenAI confirmed the timeline in a statement, expressing relief that the situation didn’t turn tragic.
“Thankfully, no one was hurt,” the company said. “We deeply appreciate how quickly SFPD responded and the support from the city in helping keep our employees safe. The individual is in custody, and we’re assisting law enforcement with their investigation.”
Altman himself has remained silent on the matter so far. As for the 20-year-old suspect, his name has not yet been released, and the SFPD says formal charges are still pending as they piece together the motive behind the double-targeted attack. The investigation remains active.
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