KALAMAZOO, Mich. — A 36-year-old Michigan man was arraigned in court Friday on terrorism and falsely reporting bomb charges.
Brandon Bazzi, of Sidney, is accused of making his way into WWMT News Channel 3's lobby in Kalamazoo under the guise of sharing a news tip when he falsely reported he had a bomb, authorities said.
But soon after, police said he threatened the station just after 2 p.m. Thursday. Their chief engineer George Markle rushed for the door, and he was able to lock the suspect in the lobby. Then, Markle and other engineers called the police and got everyone out of the building.
Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety officials say they negotiated with the suspect for more than 90 minutes before he peacefully surrendered.
The police department's bomb squad went into the building after the arrest, and they only found wires and a phone charging cord in his backpack.
Bazzi is charged with one count of false report or threat of terrorism and false report of a bomb.
If convicted, the threat of terrorism charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, while the false report of a bomb is punishable by up to four years in prison.
Both are felony charges.
RELATED: 'He's a hero'; Quick thinking from WWMT employee kept bomb threat suspect away from other employees
The West Michigan news station was given the all-clear to re-enter the building about four hours after the threat, and quick thinking from an employee likely made the difference in keeping his colleagues safe.
A 36-year-old Greenville man's arrest was caught on camera, captured by News Channel Three Anchor Andy Dominiani on Facebook Live.
"There is the man (the police have) been talking with, hands in the air. He is cooperating and being arrested. They're cuffing him," he said in the video. "He's surrendering peacefully."
"He did tell police at one point that he wanted to die. So we had to treat it as a mental health call," Jay Shatara, public information officer, says.
"That helped us a ton because we knew where he was at the time," Shatara says. "So when we were on the phone with him, again roughly 90 minutes to two hour negotiation, we were able to at least know he was locked in that one perimeter."
Assistant News Director John McCreary said WWMT has never encountered this man before, and he is grateful that no one was hurt.
The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety commended News Channel Three for their quick action in evacuating the building, and they encourage everyone to have a plan so they are prepared in case of an emergency.
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