Man charged with threatening killing spree at YouTube HQ in San Bruno
SAN BRUNO – A convicted felon was arraigned in San Mateo County court on Monday for allegedly threatening a shooting spree at YouTube headquarters in San Bruno last month.
District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe's office said in a statement Tuesday that 38-year-old Maxwell Zookshakur Littleton IV pleaded not guilty to the charge of felony criminal threats.
According to prosecutors, on Feb. 12, Google's Cybercrime Investigation Team reported to San Bruno Police a threat involving the video platform, saying they found a series of messages on X (formerly Twitter). The messages allegedly contained threats to YouTube and its employees, along with threats to shoot and kill "multiple people" at the company's campus.
Investigators said they traced the threats to Littleton, who was found at his home in San Leandro. Littleton was previously convicted of felony threats in 2007, prosecutors said.
In Monday's hearing, the court granted a motion by prosecutors to deny bail. Littleton remains in custody Tuesday, with his next court date scheduled for Wednesday.
A preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for March 14.
YouTube's headquarters has been the target of threats in the past. In 2018, a woman from Southern California shot and wounded three people at the company's offices, before killing herself. According to investigators, the woman apparently carried out the attack because she was displeased with the company's business practices.
The following year, a Utah man was arrested for making threats after he drove to the company's offices in San Bruno with a firearm to intimidate workers.