MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A suspect was taken into custody on Valentine's Day after he threatened to blow up the schools of his ex-girlfriend's children and then led police on a chase in Miami-Dade County, police said.
The chase ended when the SUV crashed on the corner of Northwest 153rd Street and Northwest Sixth Avenue.
Opa-locka and Miami-Dade police were at the scene as the suspect, identified as William Richard, 33, was apprehended. He was handcuffed and placed in the back of an Opa-locka police cruiser.
According to Opa-locka police Chief James Dobson, Richard's ex-girlfriend notified police around 10 a.m. that Richard had threatened her life and her children's lives.
She said Richard claimed he would blow up her apartment building, as well as Central Senior High School and Lakeview Elementary, where her children attend school.
Dobson said the schools were temporarily placed on lockdown as a precaution.
Opa-locka police later spotted Richard at Florida Memorial University, where he fought with officers before getting into his SUV and driving away, Dobson said.
The university released a statement later in the day, saying there was no threat to the campus at any time.
"Safety and security are vital to this university's operations. After becoming aware of the incident, the campus safety team deployed the necessary steps and resources to maintain safety and order," Terrance Wilson, FMU's director of Campus Safety and Security said in a statement. "The university assumed normal operations immediately after the vehicles left campus."
Authorities said a chase ensued after Richard drove away in his SUV, and Richard was taken into custody after crashing the vehicle. Police said they found cocaine and marijuana inside the SUV.
He faces charges of making a false report of a bomb threat, battery on a law enforcement officer, fleeing and eluding police, tampering with evidence and possession of narcotics with the intent to distribute.