Man makes threats at New Smyrna Beach bank, police say

Man said he had a bomb in his shoe

(Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – Employees at a New Smyrna Beach Bank of America called police Friday after a man walked into the bank and said people were following him and trying to kill him, according to New Smyrna Beach police.

Police said a 44-year-old man from Oak Hill walked into the bank on State Road 44 just before 5:10 p.m. and asked the tellers to call police.

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While inside the bank, the man started showing erratic behavior, saying he would pray for everyone and that God would forgive him.

Some employees went outside and three locked themselves in a safe room, police said.

At one point, the man took off his shoe and said it was an explosive device.

Police arrived, and for a brief time, the man was speaking with officers but refusing to open any doors of the bank -- or follow any instructions. Police tried to persuade him to come outside, but he wouldn’t, so they entered the building.

The man surrendered and was taken into protective custody under the Baker Act for mental evaluation, police said. Police brought the man to the Halifax Medical Center.

A portion of S.R. 44 was shut down as police investigated the situation, but it reopened later in the day.


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