WILTON MANORS, FLA. (WSVN) - A Wilton Manors man has been charged after, police said, he made a bomb threat inside a dentist’s office.
Forty-five-year-old Brian Koller faced a judge in court, Friday morning.
Koller has been charged with making a false bomb report, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill and criminal mischief.
Wilton Manors Dental Office, where the incident occurred, was closed Friday.
Oriana Perez said she and her fellow co-workers and patients wasted no time in getting out after Koller charged in threatening he had a bomb.
“I was just trying to be out and safe and protect the patients,” Perez said. “He just came with a device and tried to scare us and tell us to leave the place.”
All of this unfolded as police spent hours outside the office on Northeast Ninth Avenue, near Wilton Drive, where they said Koller barricaded himself.
“The SWAT team was trying to reason with him,” said Alexander Laboy, a witness.
According to Wilton Manors Police, Koller walked into the office just after 3 p.m. carrying either a backpack or package and claimed he had a bomb.
Officers evacuated neighboring businesses and shut down a portion of Wilton Drive, as they tried talking him out of the building.
“We got the call from the police department saying, ‘You’ve got to close, because it could be dangerous,'” said nearby business owner Leonardo Valdi.
Officers told James Fikes, who lives next door, that he had to leave.
“I was getting ready to go back to work,” Fikes said. “They’re banging on my door, telling me I had to evacuate.”
For Valdi, seeing this was a first for him.
“We never felt in danger, but still, it was crazy,” he said. “It’s one of the quietest places in South Florida; Wilton Manors is amazing.”
Valdi shared video showing police officers making their way into the office building.
At around 8 p.m., police got Koller out of the building. He was placed under arrest, just before 11 p.m.
“It was like a movie, a real movie: SWAT team, helicopter, drone, robot, all kinds of officers here, like a movie,” said Valdi.
A judge set Koller’s bond at $70,000.
If he is able to post bond, he will not be allowed to have any contact with the victims and cannot return to the dental office.
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