One Florida man made a fake bomb threat to a gay bar in a faux accent as a “joke,” police say.
Now, that man, identified as 18-year-old Randolph Goodwin, faces a felony charge for a false bomb report, according to booking information from the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office.
Police say he made the call on Jan. 31 to The Twisted Rooster in West Melbourne, according to Florida Today.
The bar is located about an hour drive away from the Pulse nightclub, a gay bar in Orlando where a shooter killed 49 and injured 53 more in June 2016.
Goodwin asked if The Twisted Rooster was geared toward LGBTQ patrons in a fake Middle Eastern accent, police say, and then made a threat to “blow up” the bar when a worker answered, “yes,” according to The Brevard Times.
The teenager used a blocked phone number for the prank call, police say, according to Florida Today.
Police say they found no signs of explosive devices at the bar, according to Florida Today, and arrested Goodwin the same day of the call.
Goodwin explained it was just one of many prank calls he had made that day, police say, according to WESH2.
But Jimit Kapadia, who owns The Twisted Rooster, told WESH2 that he wasn’t laughing.
“This world needs to just stop having these kinds of phone calls,” Kapadia told the TV station.
He explained the worrisome call touched a nerve because he used to frequent the Pulse nightclub.
“Now two of my walls that we have in (The Twisted Rooster) are dedicated to Pulse,” he told WESH2. “There’s one huge gold heart that has number 49 with angel wings and it says, ‘love us.’”
Goodwin, who is due back in court on Feb. 28, has been released on $5,000 bond, according to booking information.
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