Sheriff's Office Releases Picture Of Bomb Threat Suspect
FT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) - The Broward Sheriff's Office has released a picture of a man they say called in a bomb threat to Port Everglades last week.
The threat turned out to be hoax and now the sheriff's office is looking for the man who called it in.
On Friday, around 9:45 p.m., a man who said his name was John Doe called 911 and told the operator that he had placed a bomb in a backpack and left it at the FPL plant inside Port Everglades.
BSO Fire Rescue, the Bomb Squad and SWAT, along with U.S. Customs and Border Patrol units, secured the area until the caller's claim could be checked out. Roadways around the FPL site were closed while the Bomb Squad and SWAT searched the premises. BSO helicopters conducted flyovers, but no device was found.
"Everything turned out to produce no device what so ever," said Gina Carter of the Broward Sheriff's Office.
Investigator with the sheriff's office Violent Crimes division were able to determine the call had come from a pay phone at a BP located at 606 N. Federal Highway in Fort Lauderdale. Surveillance video from the gas station shows the suspect as he drove up in a white 2002-2005 Ford Focus hatchback.
The sheriff's office said it also shows him going into the convenience store.
"The caller actually went to a BP gas station and went into their convenience store and asked for change for a dollar so he could use their pay phone and call in the threat," said Carter.
What's interesting is that he did not need change to call 911 since that's a free call but it allowed surveillance cameras to capture a clear image of him inside the store.
Anyone with information on who the man is asked to call Broward Crime Stoppers, anonymously, at (954) 493-TIPS (8477).
Click here to watch Ted Scouten's report.
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