Lake Wales police arrest man in connection to mall bomb scare
LAKE WALES, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - Lake Wales police arrested a man in connection to a bomb scare at a mall in Polk County.
Police arrested Patrick Collins.
Collins is charged with attempted arson and manufacturing a hoax bomb.
On Sunday, police swarmed the Eagle Ridge Mall after reports of an explosion.
Investigators later determined that there were no bombs.
Instead, they say flares were wrapped in tape, made to look like pipe bombs.
Fortunately, no one was hurt in the incident, but the mall was quickly evacuated.
Police say they tracked down Collins using DNA evidence.
When officers tried to arrest him, they say Collins tried to ram his motorcycle into a squad car.