FLORENCE, Ariz. — An Arizona man is accused of making bomb threats in the parking lot of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, authorities said.
Patrick Michael Gerola, 56, was charged with terrorism, disorderly conduct, and trespassing, KNXV reported.
According to the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office, an ICE supervisor called the Florence Police Department around 6 a.m. Thursday to report a suspicious man in a vehicle honking the horn and making bomb threats, the television station reported.
Deputies arrived and saw a red 2011 Isuzu Rodeo in the parking lot matching the description and observed that a man, later identified as Gerola, was “acting unusual,” KTVK reported.
A SWAT team was called in, along with a bomb squad from the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the television station reported.
After a standoff of several hours, Gerola was taken into custody at about 11:53 a.m., KNXV reported. Deputies said no explosives were found in the car, adding that Gerola’s motives for making the threats were unknown, the television station reported.
“We are grateful for the teamwork between all involved agencies to bring this matter to a peaceful resolution,” Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb said in a statement.