LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — What began as a 911 call in Henderson and ended with the arrest of a woman inside of the Sunset Station parking garage is now being described by Metro police as part of a much bigger public safety challenge.
Metro leaders say the investigation underscores how the homeland security landscape has changed in recent years, reshaping the department's approach to counterterrorism, intelligence sharing and threat prevention.
The investigation centered on 36-year-old Allison Howlett, who faces terrorism-related charges after police say she threatened to commit suicide by cop and carry out a mass shooting.
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According to Henderson police, officers responded Saturday morning after Howlett's partner reported she had stolen their vehicle. The caller told dispatchers the vehicle contained multiple firearms and that Howlett had threatened to carry out a mass shooting.
Using location tracking, officers found the vehicle and Howlett was taken into custody.
Police say search warrants later uncovered 22 firearms inside the vehicle and another 30 firearms at Howlett's home, including automatic weapons, grenade launchers, suppressors and thousands of rounds of ammunition.
Investigators also say they uncovered several alleged threats dating back to 2024, including an audio recording in which Howlett allegedly says:
"You're gonna be the reason hundreds of people lose their goddamn lives."
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For Metro, the investigation extends far beyond one suspect.
In an exclusive sit-down interview with Channel 13 conducted weeks before the arrest, Sheriff Kevin McMahill said homeland security has become one of the department's biggest concerns.
"The homeland security aspect of this really keeps me awake. You know, Las Vegas is a target," McMahill said.
McMahill pointed to the UNLV shooting, the Cybertruck explosion outside Trump International Hotel Las Vegas, Tesla firebombings and attacks targeting critical infrastructure as examples of how the threat landscape has changed in Southern Nevada.
That shift led Metro to expand Project Meridian, an initiative focused on strengthening counterterrorism efforts, improving intelligence sharing and identifying potential threats earlier.
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Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren said the program grew out of an uptick in counterterrorism activity over the past two to three years.
"The genesis for that project came from an uptick in counterterrorism activity that we've seen now for the last two or three years," Koren said.
When asked what has changed, Assistant Sheriff Andrew Walsh said today's threats can escalate much faster than in the past.
"We've had other events that have made us realize... our thinking is shifting a lot towards how quickly it takes for someone to have bad intentions, have those grievances validated very quickly, and then take action," Walsh said.
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Metro says its focus today is not just responding to attacks, but identifying warning signs, sharing intelligence and disrupting potential threats before they become acts of violence.
Howlett remains in custody on a $500,000 bond and is scheduled to return to court July 15.
Channel 13 has also asked Metro how many counterterrorism investigations the department handles each year. Those figures were not immediately available.
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