Two Tacoma Power substations, one PSE facility vandalized Christmas Day, authorities say

[icymist]

Source: Seattle Times

PUYALLUP — Three Tacoma-area power substations were vandalized early Christmas morning, officials said Sunday, cutting off power to more than 14,000 people in eastern Pierce County.

The Pierce County Sherriff’s Department is investigating whether the incidents were coordinated and whether they could be connected to a string of recent attacks on power substations around the country by right-wing extremists.

Sgt. Darren Moss Jr. said the department received a burglary call at a Tacoma Power substation in Spanaway shortly after 5 a.m. When deputies arrived, they saw forced entry and vandalized equipment that caused a loss of power. A Tacoma Power substation in Graham revealed a similar scene: forced entry and damaged equipment.

The department also received a call from Puget Sound Energy later Sunday morning advising of another power outage at 2:39 a.m. from a third facility in Puyallup. Deputies at that scene said the facility had been broken into and vandalized. That outage lasted around 30 minutes and power has since been restored, said Moss.

Read more: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/tacoma-power-says-2-substations-attacked-christmas-day/

[highplainsdem]

1. Damn copycat vandals and terrorists.

[truthisfreedom]

2. At some point one or more of these idiots will burst into flames

The high voltage side of some substation transformers can be the better part of a million volts with nearly unlimited amperage. I've watched a squirrel burst into flame on a 4,000V neighborhood line.

[Cha]

5. They'll fuck around and

find out.

[Historic NY]

6. yup

[hadEnuf]

3. Find them, arrest them and charge them with terrorism. No pleading down and all that crap either.

Maybe that will resonate with future wannabes. Cutting power on tens of thousands of Americans in towns and cities is no joke.

[LiberalFighter]

4. Take away their electricity for life.

[truthisfreedom]

12. Put them on the No-Power List.

For life.

[LiberalFighter]

24. Wouldn't that be something?

No electricity to warm or cool the house/apartment.
No electricity to use the stove, microwave, refrigerator, freezer in the kitchen.
No electricity to power the television or radio.
No electricity to charge the cell phone. They would have to use an old fashion landline.
No electricity to operate the water pump.
No electricity to operate the vacuum cleaner.
No electricity to operate power tools.
No electricity to power the water softener.

[YoshidaYui]

7. Only it right winger would blow up his own power station

Only it right winger would blow up his own power station and sit in the dark brooding and freezing to death.

[Kennah]

8. Merry Christmas, from the Reich Wing

[Obvious85]

9. They're doing what Greg Abbot is doing right in front of our faces

Attacking power stations

[Stargazer99]

10. Nothing like shooting yourself in the foot

Those of the right wing think they are getting away with this destroying electrical service are destroying their own service or going to get people so pissed it might not be worth"owning the libs" as those who are inconvenienced just might decide to do something about the abuse

[icymist]

11. The news is now reporting a forth power station "attacked"

Police say it was intentionally set on fire.

[BumRushDaShow]

13. I wouldn't be surprised

if there is some underground RW group being funded by Russia to do this and I expect the participants are paid.

I think many of us remember what happened after 9/11 in 2001 and how suddenly, maps and other info showing the locations of critical infrastructure like nuclear and non-nuclear power plants and substations, dams, water treatment plants, etc., were pulled off the internet.

Much of the hand-wringing back then was justified because so much of our infrastructure was not "hardened" and 20-some years later, we are obviously seeing these facilities remain easy targets for domestic terrorists.

As we go deeper into the winter months, it will be paramount to secure these sites, which will be a heavy lift given much of it is owned by private utilities (although regulated by local/state/federal government).

[rogue emissary]

14. Not trying to contradict you.

Does it really have to be funded by Russians?

There are enough willing idiots in our country. That all they would need to do is put out a message that destabilizing the U.S. power grid would get America to stop focusing on international crisis's ex, Ukraine.

Wouldn't put it past them to think in their twisted minds. Attacking these stations is doing us a favor by drawing attention to how many are still not properly protected.

Never forget those magats wearing Tshirts with the message "I'd rather be Russian than a Democrat".

[BumRushDaShow]

17. Well there was always that doubt about the 2016 election

and who funded that too...

The U.S. is essentially engaged in a proxy war with Russia by providing Ukraine increasingly sophisticated offensive and now defensive weaponry and thankfully, when compared to our fiasco in Afghanistan attempting to do the same for 20 years (providing training and weaponry), it has been a good investment.

But if you for one minute think that Russia is going to sit back and allow this to continue without some kind of response directly at us, then something something about that bridge in Brooklyn....

The spawn of the teabaggers are mostly keyboard warriors ranting in their echo chambers and the rest need to be "directed" by some (usually grifting) figureheads to do what they do, and right now, some of the usual funders are "tied up" at the moment. And that opens that path to funding directed towards what is left of the organized RWers (where some like the Proud Boys, 3%ers, and Oath Keepers are otherwise indisposed at the moment being tried in court as I type). All they have to do is go on the dark web to places like 4chan or 8chan or wherever and start stoking using fake accounts, and then start up a funding stream to get it going. This can build into a new narrative that goes beyond the southern border issue and seeks to "blame" the current administration for a lack of security of the U.S. in general.

[machoneman]

19. Funding? Perhaps not. But all they need to do is see what Russia is doing to the UK power grid.

Systematic destruction of relay stations, transformer pads, power plants and more. Yeah, they see how the Russkies terrize the UK population and cat-cap that here. Sad but true!

[Locrian]

16. this is not good

These recent attacks seem to be more like training or probes in terms of a possible coordinated attack. Hopefully the domestic terrorism agencies have been restored by Biden and are on it.

And it does raise the whole issue of some foreign involvement, or not - plenty of rw authoritarian / fascists that will use anything to push us further to the right, create fear, etc.

Im sure they think they'll be fine surviving a blackout and all the "libtards", poor people, and "wrong color" people will be affected.

[BumRushDaShow]

18. They are definitely probing to reveal vulnerabilities

that we always knew were there but figured (hoped) would be too picayune for someone to attempt as it required organizing willing zombies to do the deed under threat of being quickly identified and eventually captured.

The ransomware attacks over the past decade seemed to be the "terrorism of choice" that provided handsome financial returns to those who successfully engaged in it - at least until the FBI counter-terrorism folks turned it on its head by gaining access to encryption keys and whatnot (at least against the more professional hax0rs).

So going "low tech" seemed like something to try and I fear that not just electric but water (i.e., treatment plants that have open reservoir vats where filtering is ongoing) may be another target.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

15. I'm old school and don't really give a damn about terrorists or their well being.

A good perimeter involves foo gas and Claymores.

[machoneman]

20. Claymores, now that will do them in!

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

21. A proper Scotsman should never be without one.

[icymist]

22. (Update) Thousands left without power after four Pierce County substations attacked

[...]On Sunday evening, deputies responded to a fire at a Puget Sound Energy substation at 14320 Kapowsin Highway. Deputies say the fire was started intentionally. Crews put the fire out, but it knocked out power to about 3,000 customers in the Kapowsin and Graham areas.

"There's a good possibility they are related, we are going to be investigating to see if this was coordinated by a specific group or people, but at this time all we know is that we have burglaries where the power was purposefully knocked out," Pierce County Sgt. Darren Moss told KING 5.

[...]Nothing was stolen in these substation burglaries. Deputies said they are hesitant to call it domestic terrorism because they do not have a suspect.

Earlier this month, Washington law enforcement sources confirmed to KING 5 that they received a memo from the FBI warning them about similar attacks to power stations in the Pacific Northwest.

https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/tacoma/over-7000-without-power-tacoma-power-substation-facilities-attacked/281-44300386-22ed-4a5f-ade2-9f74a72284ab

[Scalded Nun]

23. Should be a federal crime for ANY attack on infrastructure

Domestic Terrorism
Minimum sentence 10 Years to be served at GITMO. up to life depending on circumstances
Fine of at least the cost of repairs. Not dischargeable (bankruptcy, etc.).
Lifetime flag as a domestic terrorist (just like sexual predator database).

[LiberalFighter]

25. It needs to be identified as to the perpetrators.

If connected to Putin. Tie Trump in with it too.
If connected to MAGA. Make sure Trump's name is included and it is his supporters.

Get everyone incensed with Trump and his supporters.

[IronLionZion]

26. Can't wait to see the mental illness excuses for these terrorist attacks

Especially if they have a political agenda

[Mawspam2]

27. Waiting for FAUX Spews to blame PETA.

Or antifa.

[icymist]

28. (Update) Vandals hit fourth Pierce County substation in Christmas Day attacks

[...]Just after 7 p.m., police received reports of a fourth incident, this one at a PSE substation on the Kapowsin Highway northeast of La Grande, where damage caused during the break-in started a fire.

“The suspect(s) gained access to the fenced area and vandalized the equipment which caused the fire,” according to the sheriff’s department, which has beefed up patrols near county substations.

[...]Moss said many substations have camera systems, but declined to say what investigators had learned by reviewing any video of the incidents. The cameras will “be a big help in the investigation, but we can’t really release … any details just yet.”

Moss said Pierce County is taking the lead in the investigation but that federal law enforcement could be involved later. In the meantime, Pierce residents are asked to call 911 to report any suspicious activity near a power facility.

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/vandals-hit-fourth-pierce-county-substation-in-christmas-day-attacks/

__________________________________________
Sheriff Moss goes on in this article to speculate George Soros, extreme RW, extreme LW, Antifa, even as far as to suggest homeless people being responsible. Makes me wonder about who this sheriff has praying with.

[Schmice3]

29. the vandals should be prosecuted

for attempted murder

[Generic Other]

30. Rednecks and military

A very strange mix. On one side, a huge military complex behind barb wire, on the other side ex-logger types clinging to their old lifestyles with their love of guns, god and gas-powered pick-up trucks. I may be overgeneralizing as they also have experienced rapid new development in these places.

on edit: Not saying military involved, just that the area is a pocket of land surrounded by off-limits military land. Insular. And full of RW loonies.

[icymist]

31. Yeah. I saw one (RWNJ) on Christmas Eve of all times!

Everyone had been either snowed in or couldn't get out because of the ice storm. The grocery store was packed. People were parking in the Burger King parking lot across the street and walking over, that's how crowded it was. My roommate and I were leaving the store when this guy wearing a cowboy hat and a tee-shirt with big 'Let's Go Brandon' words covering his whole chest came in. As we walked past by him I say "Jackass!" and we leave the store. Others must have gave him more earfuls for before I could get into our car I saw him walking out of the store, heading the other direction. I hope he crawls back under the rock he came out of.