FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) — A man accused of climbing into Fresno City Attorney Andrew Janz’s backyard while holding a knife is set to face a court hearing tomorrow morning, July 17, in Fresno County Superior Court.
The case stems from an incident May 17, when video showed a man scaling the backyard fence at Janz’s home in the early morning darkness.
A man accused of climbing into Fresno City Attorney Andrew Janz’s backyard while holding a knife is set to face a court hearing tomorrow morning, July 17, in Fresno County Superior Court (FOX26).
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The man, identified as Larry Torrez, was seen holding a knife and banging on the city attorney’s door.
The man, identified as Larry Torrez, was seen holding a knife and banging on the city attorney’s door (PHOTO: GIVEN TO FOX26).
Deputies arrested Torrez at the scene and booked him on charges of trespassing, attempted burglary and threatening a public official.
It remaines unclear whether investigators believe Janz was specifically targeted.
Fresno City Councilmember Mike Karbassi, who represents district two, condemned the incident and warned about the broader impact of threats against public officials.
“Any violence of any kind is unacceptable, but political violence is a whole different scale. It’s really not just an attack on our community. It’s an attack on our democracy,” Karbassi said.
Local leaders pointed to past incidents involving elected officials in the area.
Surveillance footage of suspect knocking on door and holding a knife (VIDEO: GIVEN TO FOX26).
In 2017, Fresno County Supervisor Luis Chavez said he chased down a man after the man broke into his home not once but twice.
“He kept saying, ‘I know who you are. I know you have money. I saw the car that’s parked in your driveway,'” Chavez said. “So these are people that obviously know who we are. We’re public figures.”
Chavez said the 2017 break-ins were not the last threats he has faced.
He said people have told him they know where he is and that they could hurt him if they wanted to.
Chavez also said he has seen an increase in threats as people believe AI-generated posts that spread misinformation.
Karbassi said officials want the public to understand the consequences of making threats.
“We need to be very aggressive and very public about the fact that it will not be tolerated and anyone will be caught and hopefully prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Karbassi said.
A recent study released by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue found a rise in violent threats and rhetoric against leading U.S. officials.