Bomb Threat a False Alarm; Man Arrested on Center’s Roof

A city-operated family counseling center in Reseda that police were mistakenly told was an abortion clinic was closed and nearby streets were blocked off for two hours Thursday because authorities thought a bomb might have been placed on its roof.

But after a man seen prowling on the roof of the Family Service of Los Angeles Community Center in the 17400 block of Victory Boulevard was arrested, the bomb squad moved in and discovered the suspected bomb was actually a battery pack and radio device used to control a model car.

Troy Fugere, 20, of Encino was arrested on suspicion of attempted burglary after he could not explain what he was doing on top of the one-story center with the equipment, Lt. George Rock said. He was held in lieu of $2,500 bail at West Valley jail.

The incident began about 7 a.m. when passers-by noticed Fugere on the roof of the center, which is operated by the Department of Recreation and Parks. Possibly because a sign in front of the center advertises family counseling, one caller mistakenly told police that the center was an abortion clinic, police said.

Shoulder Bag

Lt. Winthrop Taylor said that officers who found Fugere on the roof saw a shoulder bag containing the battery pack and radio device with wire protruding from it. They asked the bomb squad to examine the device.

“I looked at it and it looked like what you see on television” when programs show explosive devices, Taylor said.

The block of Victory Boulevard in front of the center was closed off, but the bomb squad later determined there was no threat.

Center director Fran Umanski said the center has nothing to do with abortion. “We have no controversial programs here,” she said. “We have nothing to do with abortion, pro or con.”

Rock said investigators found the model car in Fugere’s auto that went with the battery and radio controller.