All patrons were evacuated from College Mall on Monday following reports of a bomb threat in Target. After an investigation, authorities determined there were no explosives in the building, Bloomington Police Department Captain Ryan Pedigo said.
The suspect is a 41-year-old Bloomington resident, Rama Asuri, who was preliminarily charged with two felonies: intimidation and terroristic mischief. The charges are level six and level five class felonies respectively. There is no known motive for the crime.
Bloomington Police Department officers responded to reports of a man threatening to have a bomb in his backpack at around 7:20 p.m. Monday at the College Mall Target. In the store, officers found two unattended shopping carts with backpacks in them. Officials then evacuated all patrons in the mall. The Indiana State Police Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team deemed the mall safe around 10:20 p.m. after not finding any explosives in the backpacks or in the mall.
The suspect streamed the event publicly on Facebook Live before authorities arrived. In the 8-minute video, the suspect tells several customers he has a bomb in his backpack, later yelling it in the store.
The suspect was taken to IU Health Bloomington Hospital before later being transported to the Monroe County Correctional Center.
