Braxton Kyle Johnson, 24, had recently moved into Lumina Hollywood, a high-rise apartment building at Sunset Boulevard and Gordon Avenue in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States. He was living alone on the 18th floor and possibly suffering from a mental health crisis.

Johnson told one of his neighbors that he had a military background and he believed the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was after him. Formed on September 18, 1947, the agency is a principal member of the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC) primarily focused on providing intelligence for the president and cabinet of the U.S.

On the morning of January 31, 2023, Johnson allegedly threatened staff members and neighbors at Lumina Hollywood. He was making verbal threats referencing weapons and violence although he was not armed, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Los Angeles Police Department officers executed a search warrant at Johnson’s apartment and found a shotgun, body armor, three pistols, high-capacity magazines, a large cache of various munitions and several high-powered sniper and assault rifles. All the guns were unregistered.

After the search, the officers arrested Johnson. They did not find any writing to indicate he was planning to carry out a mass shooting.

However, investigators believe Johnson had plans to carry out a mass shooting. Some of his rifles, which were loaded, were pointed out of a window, overlooking the Gordon Street Park. 

Bail for Johnson was set at $500,000. Outside of California, he is also linked to other investigations that are violent in nature.