BALTIMORE (WUSA9) — A man walked into a television station in Baltimore dressed in an outfit described as a “panda onesie” claiming to have an explosive strapped to his chest, a Baltimore police spokesperson said.
Once the man was in custody, police were able to determine that the device was actually a set of candy bars wrapped in aluminum foil and wired together. The device also had a small motherboard that is similar to something one would see in a fire extinguisher, police said.
Family members identified the man as Alex Brizzi, a 25-year-old Howard County resident. His father told WUSA9 that his son believed the world was going to end on June 3 and he went to the station to convince them to air his warning message.
“A couple weeks ago he came to us and said that he got a vision from God and Jesus that the world was going to end on June the 3rd. He was telling his girlfriend ‘we’ve got to get the message out,’” said Ed Brizzi, the suspect’s father.
According to the spokesperson, the man entered WBFF, also known as Fox 45, around 1:30 p.m. with what he claimed was an explosive device and barricaded himself inside the station. He also had a flash drive containing his warning message.
As officers arrived at the scene, all employees at the television station were able to escape the building and police say all employees are accounted for.
The station’s security guard would not let him past the entryway.
“My first instinct was to try to keep him calm. He tried to pull on the door a few times to come in. I told him I couldn’t let him in but I’d be glad to talk to him to see what I could do to help him out,” said Jourael Apostolides, the security guard at the station.
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