Car that rammed power substation near Las Vegas investigated as possible terrorism

U.S. Car-ramming incident at power substation near Las Vegas investigated as possible terrorism, police say February 20, 2026 / 7:03 PM EST / AP Add CBS News on Google Police say they're investigating a car that rammed into a power substation near Las Vegas, Nevada, on Thursday as a "terrorism-related event." There's no ongoing threat to the public, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill said during a news conference Friday. The incident was reported Thursday morning at a power substation in Boulder City, a historic town located about 25 miles southeast of Las Vegas. Police have also released security video of the incident. The driver of the Nissan Sentra was 23-year-old Dawson Maloney from Albany, New York, who had been reported missing, and died at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, McMahill said. The man had communicated with family before the crash, referencing self-harm, and said he was going to commit an act that would place him on the news. He referred to himself as a terrorist in a message sent to his mother, according to police. Authorities found explosive materials and multiple books "related to extremist ideologies" in Maloney's hotel room, McMahill said. The books included ones about right- and left-wing extremism, environmental extremism, white supremacy and anti-government ideology, he said. "These findings significantly elevate the seriousness of this incident," McMahill said. Maloney is listed as a student at Albany Law School in the class of 2027. He was also an honors student for multiple semesters at Siena University, located in New York. "We are heartbroken to hear of the tragic passing of one of our law students, Dawson Maloney, in an off-campus incident," said Tom Torello, director of communications and marketing at Albany Law School, in a statement. Two shotguns, an assault rifle-style pistol, and flame throwers were found in his rental car, McMahill said. Maloney was wearing what police described as "soft-...