WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – A South Florida man was arrested Monday after he called 911 to falsely report that there was a bomb in the parking lot of the West Palm Beach Police Department, authorities said.
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“There’s a bomb in your parking lot,” the man allegedly said before hanging up the phone at 8:42 a.m. Monday morning.
According to WPBPD spokesman Mike Jachles, “the call forced a downtown block to be cordoned off for most of the day, a parking garage to be closed, and partial evacuation of police headquarters.”
“The area from Banyan Boulevard to Clematis Street, and Rosemary to Sapodilla avenues were closed to car and foot traffic while Bomb Squad technicians and police dogs cleared the Sapodilla Garage and surrounding area, ensuring there were no hazards,” Jachles said. “A partial evacuation of the police department was also done as a precaution, temporarily displacing several dozen employees. The all-clear was given by 3 p.m., and the roads and sidewalks were reopened.”
The suspect was later identified as 32-year-old Luke Joseph Cahill, who lives in unincorporated Palm Beach County.
Jachles said Cahill had called 911 from a medical facility in West Palm Beach.
He was detained by detectives just before 6 p.m. and taken to police headquarters to be interviewed.
Jachles confirmed that Cahill was eventually booked into the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Main Detention Center and is facing one count of making a false bomb threat, a second-degree felony.