Man suspected of trying to rob 7-Eleven using false bomb threat
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A man is suspected of attempting to rob a 7-Eleven store in Burbank last week by threatening to blow himself up with a nonexistent bomb, according to authorities.
The suspect called 911 sometime before 2:50 a.m. on Aug. 26, police said, saying he tried to rob the store at 265 W. Olive Ave., but the clerk had refused to give him money. He reportedly told the 911 operator he had a bomb strapped to his body and was going to blow up the store.
Sgt. Derek Green, a Burbank Police Department spokesman, said the operator was able to keep the man on the phone long enough for officers to arrive and take him into custody.
No explosive device was found on the man.
Green said the clerk told officers the man had made similar empty threats in the past.
The man was identified as 34-year-old Johnathan Cook, who was out on parole at the time of the incident for making a similar bomb threat last year in Glendale.
He has since been charged by the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office with one count of making a false bomb threat and is currently being held on $30,000 bail.
