A 46-year-old Miami man is behind bars after police say he threatened to blow up a local medical center during a heated phone call last month.
According to a Miami Police Department arrest report, the incident began on the morning of July 7 at the Sanitas Medical Center, located at 1313 SW 27th Avenue. Investigators say Gregory Thomas called the clinic around 9:30 a.m. to arrange a medical appointment and to request a primary care physician.
Staff members told police that during the call, Thomas became increasingly belligerent after being asked to repeat personal information several times — information he claimed he had already provided.
Police say that frustration allegedly boiled over into threats. The call taker reported Thomas told them he would “shoot up and blow up” the facility. The medical center’s information technology department later pulled a recording of the conversation, which officers reviewed.
In the audio, detectives said they heard Thomas declare, “I’m going to blow it up,” followed by, “I’m going to grab a gun and go shoot the Sanitas on 27th Avenue.”
The threats were not reported to police until the afternoon of July 7, prompting officers to respond to the center at 3:30 p.m.
On July 23, detectives interviewed a witness who claimed Thomas had admitted to making the threats. According to her, Thomas — who she believes suffers from mental health issues — told her, “How else was I supposed to get them to listen?”
Police arrested Thomas at his Miami home on Wednesday. During questioning, Thomas admitted he had been upset that day but said he could not recall making threats because of the amount of medication he takes.
He was charged with making a false report about a bomb and booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. His bond was set at $7,500.
As of Thursday afternoon, Thomas remained in custody.
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