Police say they arrested suspects allegedly linked to multiple online threats that evacuated their headquarters near Los Angeles on Friday.
According to a press release from the Culver City Police Department, Tiktok employees have reported that they have been subjected to multiple threats on various social media platforms from 33-year-old Hawthorne resident Joseph Mayuyo. After additional messages threatened Culver City headquarters in Tiktok, police say the company’s security evacuated the office “from abundant attention.”
According to a press release, police have investigated Mayuyo’s home. During the investigation, he allegedly posted additional threatening statements, including one that declared that he was not alive. The detective obtained a warrant for search and arrest and negotiated with Mayuyo for 90 minutes before voluntarily leaving the house and being detained, the police department says.
Business Insider reports that one Tiktok employee described the threat as “really scary,” but fears another employee is likely to be specifically targeting the e-commerce department.
Mayuyo’s X account was reportedly suspended for violating the platform’s hateful content policy. A medium account under his name published a post in July criticizing Tiktokshop USA as “scam.”
TechCrunch contacted Tiktok for comment. In a press release, the police department praised the Tiktok security team “for prompt action, collaboration and professionalism throughout the incident.”
The arrest comes as Tiktok’s US business is spun from governance by Chinese owners as a new joint venture with the new board. President Donald Trump, who has been talking and posting about the deal for months, recently signed an executive order approving the sale.
TechCrunch Events
San Francisco
|
October 27th-29th, 2025
