Altman attack suspect Moreno-Gama had ‘mental health crisis’

The lawyer representing the man accused of throwing a burning Molotov cocktail at the garage door of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s home last week said Tuesday that he is suffering from a mental health crisis.

Daniel Moreno-Gama, 20, was assigned to the public defense team ahead of his trial before Judge Kenneth Wine.

“Our defense team is just beginning our investigation, and it becomes clear that Daniel’s actions stemmed from an acute mental health crisis,” Acting San Francisco Public Defender Diamond Solange Ward said in the courthouse hallway.

Ward said Moreno-Gama had a history of autism and the case was “clearly exaggerated.”

“This case is a property crime at best,” he said. “No one was injured and there appears to be some damage to the door.”

Moreno-Gama allegedly threatened to burn down OpenAI’s headquarters last week due to his hatred of artificial intelligence technology.

San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins dismissed the allegation as trash-talking and said the office had “no evidence that he suffered from a mental health issue.”

“It doesn’t matter if it’s a billionaire or a CEO or the average San Franciscan,” Jenkins said.

Moreno-Gama, who lives in Texas, was scheduled to be arraigned in San Francisco Superior Court on Tuesday. The legal team asked for the date to be postponed to May 5, and the judge agreed.

Wearing an orange jumpsuit, Moreno-Gama looked solemn during brief legal proceedings.

He responded to Wine’s question about whether he agreed to continue his trial to a later day with a simple “Yes.”

He was then quickly removed from the courtroom.

Moreno-Gama is charged with attempted murder, attempted arson and detonating or igniting a destructive device with intent to murder.

It is charged separately by itself federal prosecutors Attempting to damage and destroy property using explosives and possessing an unlicensed firearm.

San Francisco Police Department officers arrested Moreno-Gama on Friday and seized a document from his possession detailing his intentions. according to a complaint The lawsuit was filed Monday in San Francisco federal court.

In the document, Moreno-Gama expressed his intention to kill Altman and warned of humanity’s “impending extinction” from artificial intelligence. The complaint also listed the names and addresses of several AI executives, board members and investors, it said.

Altman described the attack on his home a blog post It has been an “extremely busy, chaotic and high-pressure few years,” he said on Friday.

He shared a photo of his family and called for a reduction in “rhetoric and tactics” in the AI ​​industry.

“We deeply appreciate how quickly SFPD responded and the support from the city to help keep our employees safe,” OpenAI said in a statement Friday. he said. “The individual is in custody and we are assisting law enforcement with their investigation.”

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