LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Police Department website was down Friday after being "overloaded," according to officials, although an online group claimed on social media that their "cyber attack" was to blame.

Shortly after 11 a.m. Friday, department personnel discovered the website was not functioning, LAPD Media Relations division Officer Drake Madison wrote in a statement to City News Service. As of 4:45 p.m., a message on the site pops up with the message, "Our services aren't available right now. We're working to restore all services as soon as possible. Please check back soon."

Madison said in the statement that a further review of the system determined that it was being overloaded, resulting in a "denial of services." The LAPD official also noted the website had not experienced a security breach, nor did the website being down affect public safety.

The Los Angeles Times reported that a group called Dark Storm claimed on Telegram that its own "cyber attack" was to blame. Capt. Kelly Muniz, the LAPD's chief spokesperson, told the newspaper that there was "no indication" that was true.

There was no description of the group that claimed responsibility, but an online search revealed it appears to be a group of hackers.

According to the Times, the LAPD has long been planning an upgrade to its site — with security being one of its main concerns.