YouTube suspect's family said they warned police ahead of attack
SAN BRUNO, Calif. -- The brother of the suspect in Tuesday's shooting at YouTube's headquarters said he told police about her anger toward the company and warned them she might be headed toward San Bruno.
Aghdam's family recently reported her missing when she stopped answering her phone. We learned police had contact with her just hours before the shooting. Mountain View police found her sleeping in her car yesterday morning. They scanned the plates and realized she had been reported missing. They contacted her family down in Southern California. Aghdam's brother told reporters he warned police she might be going to YouTube.
"I Googled Mountain View, it was close to YouTube headquarters and she had problems with YouTube. So we called the cop again and told him that might be the reason why she went all the way from San Diego to do that," said Aghdam's brother.
Her brother said he did not know she had a gun.
Aghdam did not work at YouTube or know anybody there -- but she was very angry at the company. She posted a rant on her personal website saying YouTube's new ad policy was causing her to lose money. She also embedded videos from other YouTube users blasting what they called "Adpocalypse,"
San Bruno Police Chief Ed Barberini said authorities have finished up their forensic investigation inside the building, but YouTube is keeping it closed at least for today and may keep it closed for a couple more days.
Chief Barberini says they have the suspect's vehicle in their possession but have yet to complete a search of it. He says that's a slow, methodical process and no letter or manifesto has been found yet. They are still investigating a motive, but authorities say she was obviously upset at YouTube and its policies.
Chief Barberini says investigators are also looking for access to her online accounts and at her home in Southern California. He says there's nothing to suggest she obtained the semi-automatic handgun used in the shooting illegally.
"We may have thought that we were going to encounter someone with maybe a rifle or something like that. But, that may have been the only thing that was noticeable to officers. Gender really didn't -- I don't think that's even been discussed. We knew that there was a threat and we identified the threat and tried to go to it and get to it as fast we could," said Chief Barberini.
PHOTOS: Powerful images from shooting at YouTube HQ in San Bruno
Chief Barberini said so far, they have no link between the suspect, and the victims. He says they're very early in their investigation and a lot more has to be done. The names of the three victims have not yet been released; a 36-year-old man is in critical condition, a 32-year-old woman is in serious condition and a 27-year-old woman is in fair condition.
Aghdam was very active on social media - she posted workout videos, music video parodies, liked to talk about vegan cooking and animal cruelty. She's from Minafee, which is a town in Riverside County.
YouTube has pulled down her videos.
ABC7 News will stream a San Bruno police news conference at 9:20 a.m.
ABC7 News reporters Kristen Sze and Vic Lee contributed to this report.
