New York – Psych Exam Ordered For Man In Times Square Fake-bomb

    0

    FILE - Police investigate the SUV in which a man suspected of causing a bomb scare barricaded himself, causing an hours-long standoff and the shutdown of a mid-Manhattan area in New York City, New York, U.S. July 21, 2016. REUTERS/Brendan McDermidNew York – A man accused of flinging a fake bomb into a police van in Times Square is headed for a psychiatric examination to determine whether he’s fit to stand trial.

    Join our WhatsApp group

    Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email


    A Manhattan judge ordered the exam Wednesday, as Hector Meneses was arraigned by video from a hospital where he’s been held since his arrest last Thursday. He’s due back in court next month for the results of the psychiatric exam.

    When police caught up with him after the bomb scare, he engaged them in an hours-long standoff in a prominent intersection near Central Park while falsely claiming to have explosives strapped to him, police said.

    Meneses, 52, hasn’t yet entered a plea to the false-bombing and false-reporting charges. His lawyer didn’t immediately return a call.

    Sgt. Hameed Armani and Officer Peter Cybulski were in a parked, marked police van in Times Square when a passing driver lobbed an object through the van’s open window, security video showed. Wrapped in a white T-shirt, the device made a clicking sound and had lights that flashed faster and faster, according to a court complaint.

    “Boss, this is a bomb,” Cybulski said, as he recalled later that day, as he and his partner were lauded for their fast-acting bravery in handling the scare. Rather than fleeing for their own safety, they drove the device away from crowds before taking it out of the van.

    “We’re not going to make it,” Armani recalled thinking, “but I’m happy nobody else is going to get hurt.”

    The object proved harmless, made of a red candle, two solar-powered garden lights and tin foil, police said.

    Police said officers caught up with Meneses about a mile away at Columbus Circle, where he barricaded himself in his SUV. He said he wanted to die, purported to have a bomb strapped to a vest he was wearing, donned a red helmet and held a household remote-control device as if planning to use it to detonate something, police said.

    After police used a robot to scan Meneses’ vehicle and tried to talk him out during several hours, SWAT officers pepper-sprayed him and pulled him from the vehicle, Chief of Department James O’Neill and Manhattan detectives’ Chief William Aubry said last week.

    While Meneses didn’t have a bomb, he did have 19 more garden lights and a capped pot with wires coming out, seemingly meant to simulate a pressure cooker bomb, police said.


    Listen to the VINnews podcast on:

    iTunes | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Podbean | Amazon

    Follow VINnews for Breaking News Updates


    Connect with VINnews

    Join our WhatsApp group