Las Vegas “Biological Lab” Search Tied to Reedley Case Sends 1,000+ Samples for FBI Testing
Source: LVPD
Executive Summary
Local and federal authorities executed a search warrant at a northeast Las Vegas home after a code-violation response escalated into concerns about illegal biological or hazardous materials, prompting Joint Terrorism Task Force involvement. Investigators seized refrigerators of vials with unknown liquids, gallon containers of unknown substances, and lab equipment from a locked garage, collecting more than 1,000 samples for FBI laboratory testing. Police say the property is tied to the owner of the 2023 Reedley, California illegal lab case, and a property manager has been arrested on hazardous waste charges.
Analysis
The Las Vegas case began as a routine enforcement issue and quickly moved into a high-risk hazmat and potential bio-materials posture once responders encountered what was described as medical or lab-type storage. Authorities said the bulk of the “potential biological and hazardous materials” were inside a locked garage, where investigators found multiple refrigerators holding vials of unknown liquids, additional liquids stored in gallon-size containers, and equipment consistent with lab work, including a centrifuge and a biosafety hood. Law enforcement used drones, a tactical robot, and air sampling before entries, then conducted controlled entries and decontamination procedures, underscoring that responders treated the material as unknown and potentially dangerous until cleared.
The evidence picture is still incomplete and that’s the headline: officials repeatedly emphasized they do not yet know what the substances are. More than 1,000 samples were collected and transferred for FBI testing, with authorities describing the scene as complex and requiring careful, methodical assessment. Police also removed three room renters from the home and said they are not currently considered involved. The only publicly described criminal charge tied directly to the Las Vegas scene at this stage is hazardous-waste disposal or discharge.
Investigators are explicitly linking the Las Vegas property to the prior Reedley, California illegal lab investigation. Police said the items recovered in Las Vegas were consistent in appearance with what was described in the Reedley case. Reporting identifies the Las Vegas property owner as Jiabei Zhu (also reported as using the name David He), a Chinese national already in federal custody connected to Reedley, where investigators previously described thousands of vials labeled as pathogens and the presence of lab mice. In the Las Vegas case, authorities arrested Ori Solomon, identified as the property manager, and charged him with felony hazardous-waste disposal/discharge; additional reporting says he also faces a federal firearms-related allegation tied to visa conditions. Separately, one account reports alleged illness among individuals who entered the garage and describes conditions inside the residence consistent with poor environmental hygiene, but testing results and medical causality have not been established in the material provided.
