FBI probe at Irvine home a ‘mischaracterization,’ teen not a threat, says attorney – NBC Los Angeles

Federal agents and hazardous materials teams remained at an Irvine home Friday night, five days after authorities began investigating what officials described as suspicious chemical activity, as the family’s attorney said the situation is a misunderstanding.

Agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and hazardous materials crews have been at the two-story residence since Monday afternoon.  

NBC4 has learned that they were joined by a highly specialized unit of the California National Guard that mobilizes in cases involving the use or threat of weapons of mass destruction, at the request of the FBI, according to a statement. 

Irvine Police were initially alerted by the landlord of the home who reported what were described as suspicious circumstances. The FBI’s Hazardous Evidence Response Team subsequently took over the investigation. Authorities have not disclosed what chemicals, if any, are at issue.

No charges have been filed, and officials have said there is no threat to the surrounding Irvine neighborhood. The investigation remains ongoing.

The family’s attorney, Charles M. Ray, implied in a written statement that the focus of the FBI probe is the couple’s 17-year-old son, whom he described as already in his fourth year at a respected local college and aspiring to become a medical doctor. 

The attorney directed NBC4 to the teenager’s YouTube channel, where he posts chemistry-related videos.

The attorney said the experiments depicted online were intended to be instructional.

“We categorically deny the allegations that have been suggested and reject any implication that he poses a threat in any way, shape, or form,” the attorney said in a statement. “There is no credible evidence to support the narrative that has begun to circulate, and we are confident that when the facts are reviewed objectively, that will become clear,” said Ray.

A chemist who reviewed the YouTube videos told NBC4 that the teenager appears to be producing what could be considered dangerous free agents, substances not typically created in home laboratories, but added that he appeared to be taking proper precautions and understood what he was doing.

The chemist also noted that chemistry students are well versed in a landmark case stemming from a fatal 2008 laboratory accident at the University of California, Los Angeles.

In that case, 23-year-old research assistant Sheri Sangji died after suffering burns in a campus laboratory fire. The death led to criminal charges for violating safety regulations, the first such prosecution involving an academic laboratory.

While authorities have not said whether any safety violations occurred in Irvine, the presence of specialized units and protective gear has drawn attention from neighbors. 

The chemist said protective gloves like those seen at the scene can cost thousands of dollars and, if the YouTube videos were filmed in a home laboratory, the setup would be expensive.

“While the family maintains a deep respect for law enforcement and the immense responsibility officers carry in protecting our communities, it appears that this situation has been mischaracterized and escalated into something it simply is not,” Ray said.

He said that if charges are brought, the family is prepared to address them and is confident the truth will prevail. 

He described the teenager as focused and ambitious, with a goal of contributing meaningfully to society, including advancing medical research one day.