The recent vandalism of four electricity substations in the Tacoma, Washington, area is a concerning development that has left thousands of customers without power. The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department has described the attacks on two Tacoma Public utility substations and a Puget Sound Energy facility as acts of vandalism, and suspects have yet to be identified.
The attacks on the four substations have had a significant impact on the local community. On Sunday, the sheriff’s department estimated that the number of affected homes and businesses was 14,000 at one point.
Additionally, Puget Sound Energy reported that more than 1,200 customers were without power, and Tacoma Public Utilities said that more than 7,000 of its customers were without power.
Fortunately, power was restored to most of the affected homes, but the sheriff’s department has stepped up security in light of the fourth incident at a utility substation in South Pierce County on Christmas Day.
The motives behind the attacks remain unclear, and the sheriff’s department is working with authorities to determine whether the incidents were coordinated or not. Additionally, investigators are looking at online conspiracy theories to determine whether they played a role in the attacks.
Early this year, three men pleaded guilty in connection with a plot to disrupt the electricity grid, sow civil unrest and economic uncertainty, and ultimately trigger a race war, and Brian Levin, the director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, has warned about the potential for right-wing extremists to target power infrastructure.
The recent attacks in Tacoma, Washington, have left thousands of customers without power, and the motives behind the attacks remain unknown. It is essential that the local authorities work to find those responsible and bring them to justice. Additionally, utilities and law enforcement must work together to ensure that power infrastructure is sufficiently protected and that similar attacks do not occur in the future.
