An ex-Redfin contractor allegedly made what the company called “concerning comments” last week, prompting the tech-focused Seattle brokerage to temporarily close four Bay Area offices. The brokerage is working with local law enforcement and examining all legal remedies.
“On Friday, Aug. 9, a former Redfin contractor made concerning comments over the phone to a local Redfin manager,” a spokesperson for Redfin told Inman. “In response to the comments, we took swift action and worked closely with law enforcement to ensure the safety of our employees and agents.”
The brokerage originally shuttered four Bay Area offices and has since already opened its San Francisco office and plans to reopen the remainder of its Bay Area offices early next week. The company will take additional security measures to protect its employees.
Redfin declined to comment further on what exactly the threat was, but according to a local ABC outlet, the veiled threat was about shooting people. Specifically, ABC cited a source who said the contractor said, “this is why people bring shotguns to work” after they got fired.
It’s not the first gun violence scare for a Bay Area brokerage this year, in an era of hypervigilance over mass shootings. In May, Compass agents and employees were forced to evacuate their offices after reports of shots fired in a San Francisco neighborhood, that turned out to be a false alarm.
Employees from #Compass real estate and possibly other business evacuated by police with their hands up after reports of an active shooter. “This is not a drill…we need you to drop everything and leave!” Police tell me they haven’t located anyone yet. 16th & Rhode Island pic.twitter.com/f4yc8SmFQT
— Sam Brock (@SamNBCBayArea) May 20, 2019
