A Florida man has been arrested after allegedly threatening to bomb a Papa John’s when he got frustrated while ordering a pizza.
The incident occurred around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at a location in Lakeland, about 35 miles east of Tampa, when an employee got into an argument over the phone with a customer who referred to himself as “Jay” and hung up. The man, later identified as 24-year-old Johnny Vega, called back and threatened to kill the clerk and said he could “bomb the store.” the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said..
It’s unclear what caused Vega and the employee to start arguing.
The clerk gave Vega’s name, phone number and address to police. When confronted by authorities, Vega denied calling the restaurant.
“Vega provided the phones of one of his co-workers in an attempt to pass it off as his own when he was asked to check his phone to see if the phone number matched,” deputies wrote in an arrest report. Vega also allegedly tried to hide his phone in a cabinet in a bedroom, agents said.
“As a result of lying about the phone, Vega obstructed the investigation being conducted by deputies,” the arrest report stated.
He was arrested and charged with false report planting a bomb, tampering or fabricating evidence, and resisting an officer without violence.
Vega was scheduled to appear in court Thursday, the sheriff’s office said.
