A man suspected of tossing a hoax bomb through the window of a New York Police Department vehicle in Times Square before getting into a standoff with officers is now in custody, authorities said Thursday.
(FOX)- The standoff ended around 8 a.m. after police sent a robot to check out the vehicle because they didn’t know what was inside it.
Chief of Department James O’Neill said a cylindrical object was tossed into the vehicle’s open window late Wednesday night. He said the object was thrown from another vehicle and turned out to include a candle and a harmless electrical component wrapped in cloth.
Officers spotted the suspect’s sport utility vehicle around 2 a.m. at Columbus Circle and pulled it over, O’Neill said. He said the driver refused to get out and donned a red plastic helmet. SWAT officers remain on the scene Thursday morning.
Police say two officers were in the marked vehicle when the device was tossed inside. The officers drove to a less-crowded area, placed the device on the sidewalk, exited the vehicle and took cover.
Officers from the NYPD bomb squad gave the all-clear a short time later. There are no reports of injuries.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.