WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – A South Florida man was arrested Monday after allegedly calling 911 to falsely report a bomb in the parking lot of the West Palm Beach Police Department, authorities said. The man reportedly stated, “There’s a bomb in your parking lot,” before hanging up the phone at 8:42 a.m. Monday morning.
According to West Palm Beach Police Department (WPBPD) spokesman Mike Jachles, the false bomb threat prompted significant disruption in the downtown area. “The call forced a downtown block to be cordoned off for most of the day, a parking garage to be closed, and a partial evacuation of police headquarters,” Jachles said.
He explained that the area from Banyan Boulevard to Clematis Street, and from Rosemary to Sapodilla avenues, was closed to both car and foot traffic while Bomb Squad technicians and police dogs searched the Sapodilla Garage and surrounding areas to ensure there were no hazards. As a precaution, several dozen police department employees were temporarily displaced during the partial evacuation. The all-clear was given by 3 p.m., and roads and sidewalks were reopened.
The suspect in the false bomb threat was later identified as 32-year-old Luke Joseph Cahill, a resident of unincorporated Palm Beach County. WPBPD spokesman Mike Jachles confirmed that Cahill had made the 911 call from a medical facility in West Palm Beach.
Cahill was detained by detectives just before 6 p.m. and taken to police headquarters for questioning. He was subsequently 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.
