A 54-year-old man was in custody Tuesday for allegedly throwing or dropping an incendiary device at the federal building in downtown Los Angeles.
Jose Francisco Jovel, of Los Angeles, was arrested Monday morning outside the building at 300 N. Los Angeles St., according to the FBI.
A criminal complaint was expected to be filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office sometime Tuesday, according to the agency.
No other specifics were immediately released.
Los Angeles police and fire crews responded to the federal building at about 8:35 a.m. Monday. Initial reports on Monday suggested that the fire department had responded to a medical call that turned into a hazardous materials investigation due to a substance found on the person at the scene.
NBC4 reported that the man had tossed a molotov-cocktail-type device toward the front of the federal building, but it did not ignite.
At least a portion of the building was evacuated while police conducted an investigation, and Los Angeles Street was closed between Temple and Aliso streets. The area was cleared by about 11 a.m.
According to NBC4, authorities were also investigating a possible arson fire that occurred around 4 a.m. Monday at Jovel’s apartment building in the 100 block of North Westmoreland Avenue in Koreatown.