Santa Monica Man Detained Following Alleged Coachella Bomb Threat

A 40-year-old man named David Darvish from Santa Monica, California was arrested on suspicion of saying that he planned to bomb Coachella.

A man is in police custody with bail set at $1 million after allegedly threatening to bomb Coachella Music & Arts Festival on Saturday, April 12.

According to the Cathedral City Police Department, he approached security guards at Agua Caliente Casino in Rancho Mirage, California driving a Tesla at 11am. He allegedly told them that he planned to bomb Coachella.

Indio, California — where the popular music festival takes place — is roughly 16 hours from the casino. The security guards notified local law enforcement, who located the vehicle after about an hour. They detained 40-year-old David Darvish from Santa Monica, California, finding no explosives or weapons on his person or in his vehicle.

At the time of writing, no charges have been filed against Darvish, who is in custody at the John J. Benoit Detention Center in Indio. Law enforcement is investigating the matter, including Darvish’s activity prior to his contact with the casino’s security guards.

Coachella drew an estimated 125,000 revelers per day over the first weekend of its 2025 edition. While long entry lines put a damper on some festival-goers’ experience, plenty ranted and raved about performances from acts like Lady Gaga, The Prodigy, Sara Landry, and Green Day.

Some amount of controversy is bound to follow any festival of Coachella’s size. Last year, for instance, weekend two saw Kid Cudi end his set early due to an injury along with a 40% spike in arrests.

Those attending weekend two of Coachella 2025 ought to read our essential info guide, preview some of the festival’s side quests, and find out which artists we recommend catching. EDM Identity will provide the weekend two livestream schedule with links when the organizers make them available.