DA Withholds Name of Fullerton Police Officers in Kelly Thomas Case, Citing Concerns About Death Threats

The District Attorney is withholding the names of six Fullerton officers being investigated in the fatal beating of Kelly Thomas, citing a significant number of threats to the officers' safety.

A spokesperson for the DA said it will release the officers' names when it decides to seek criminal charges.

The DA released a list of threats to the officers' safety to The Orange County Register, when the paper sought the officers' names through a public records request.

One of those threats listed came from the Friends for Fullerton's Future blog: "Someone should make these officers contact information and addresses public."

Blogger Travis Kiger told the OC Register that wasn't a threat, and said he hasn't seen any specific threats on the Friends for Fullerton's Future blog.

"They release the names of suspected criminals every single day," he told the paper. "I don't understand in this case how it would be any different."

Other threats included:

Voicemails warning police to "get ready" and that "something will happen."

A caller to the police department's dispatch line warned that "a bomb will go off in your place soon."

One caller to the DA's office said "we're going to pull out the M16s, the AK47s... and we're going to turn them loose on you (expletive) cops."

Other examples listed in the letter: "Kill Fullerton Cops," "damn you to hell and I will see you there," and "Kelly Thomas was murdered by numerous officers and they should get the death penalty."

The DA's office said that while it is taking these anonymous threats seriously, it does not have any open criminal investigations into any of them.