Bomb threat investigation and arrest

DATE: February 6, 2019

SUBJECT: Bomb threat investigation and arrest

LOCATION OF OCCURRENCE: 13472 Euclid Street, Garden Grove

DATE/TIME OF OCCURRENCE: 02/06/2019 11:08 a.m.

SUSPECT: Jonny Knowles, 56 years old, LKA Garden Grove

NARRATIVE:
On February 6, 2019 at 11:08 a.m. Garden Grove police officers were dispatched to the 7-11 store located at 13472 Euclid Street. A female clerk called the police reporting a suspicious male came into the store and was acting bizarre. The male subject asked the clerk if the store had video cameras. The subject then stated something big was going to happen and he wanted the cameras to record the incident.

The subject exited the store and was seen near a white Ford Mustang in the parking lot. The subject left the area on foot, leaving the car behind. The clerk called the police to report what she saw.

Officers arrived at the location and did not find the subject. The white Ford Mustang was found unoccupied at the east end of the parking lot. Officers observed a suspicious device on the driver’s seat connected with tubing and wires attached to a car battery. Officers were not certain if this was an explosive device and immediately began to cordon off the area and evacuate surrounding residences and businesses. Nearby streets were blocked and freeway on/off ramps were shut down to divert traffic.

While officers were waiting for the bomb squad to respond, the same subject was seen walking away north on Euclid Street. The subject called the fire department to report a car fire in the 7-11 store parking lot. The subject then left a suspicious container that contained an unknown fluid at a nearby business parking lot. The subject fled the area on foot.

A large coordinated response that included the Orange County Sheriff’s Department Bomb Squad, an Anaheim Fire Department Hazardous Materials crew, the Garden Grove Fire Department, the California Highway Patrol, and numerous police officers was initiated.

After several hours, the device in the car and the second container with the unknown fluid were rendered safe by the bomb squad and the fire department Haz Mat crew. It was determined by the bomb squad investigators that the two items left behind by the subject were not improvised explosive devices.

Officers located the subject hiding in a backyard of a residence near the 11200 block of Crosby Avenue. He did not live at the home and was acting paranoid. The subject was exhibiting signs of being under the influence of narcotics and was positively identified by witnesses.

The suspect was interviewed by detectives and was arrested for reporting a false emergency. Additional charges may be filed at a later time. The surrounding streets were opened back up to regular traffic at approximately 4:00 PM. Anyone with information concerning this suspect and the activities leading up to the event are encouraged to contact the Garden Grove Police Department at 714-741-5422.