Standoff ends with an arrest after man claims he planted a bomb

DELTONA, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - An overnight standoff ended with an arrest in Deltona after a man told deputies that he had planted a bomb.

The Volusia County Sheriff's Office responded to a bomb threat and suspicious incident that began with an anonymous call around 7 p.m. from a man who claimed he planted a bomb at a private residence. 

"We also had several photos of a cell phone bomb left at our District 4 headquarters," explained Andrew Gant, with the Sheriff's Office. 

Sheriff Mike Chitwood says that after making contact with the suspect's family, they learned that the 52-year-old man in question was bipolar and schizophrenic. 

Upon arrival at a house on Worthington Dr., deputies said they saw a man with a backpack slam a mailbox shut and run into the house.  Bomb squad responded and have cleared the mailbox. District 4 headquarters were also cleared. Authorities eventually fired tear gas and sent in a robot and SWAT team to the suspect into custody.

The suspect was identified as 52-year-old Nicholas Licausi. He was arrested and charged with making a false report of a bomb and resisting arrest without violence. 

Licausi was treated on scene for tear gas exposure and minor lacerations. He was then transported to Halifax Helath for treatment of a medical condition before he was cleared and taken to the Volusia County Branch Jail, where he was being held this morning on $10,500 bond.

Chitwood says that there were no bombs or any kind of weapons found and no indication that the suspect had any training on how to make a bomb. The item he claimed was a bomb was an electrical box on a pole. Residents were back in their homes as of early Wednesday morning, as the suspect was in custody by 1 a.m.

Licausi is being charged with making a false bomb threat, which is a third degree felony.