PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — An active member of the military is in custody after crashing into a Port St. Lucie yard while wearing tactical gear and having an assortment of weapons in his possession.
The incident happened at about 4:10 p.m. Sunday in the area of Southeast Prineville Street.
Officers arrived at the scene and conducted a traffic stop of a white Scion at Southeast Sandia Drive and Southeast Crosspoint Drive that was attempting to leave the scene of the crash.
Sgt. John Dellacroce said as officers approached the vehicle they noticed the driver, Johann Robey, 21, was wearing a tactical ballistic vest that contained a rifle and pistol magazines.
Pictures from @PSLPolice show what “hoax” bomb looked like, along with tactical vest and weapons also found on man after a traffic stop that led to a neighborhood evacuation. More details at 4:55 @WPTV pic.twitter.com/qiiGGwJwMy
— Jon Shainman (@JonShainman) August 29, 2022
Officers said they also spotted an AR-15 rifle on the passenger seat. Robey got out of the vehicle and was taken into custody without incident.
"Totally out of the ordinary though," Port St. Lucie Assistant Chief Richard Del Toro said. "You walk up to a car and you find somebody in a tactical vest with multiple handguns and an AR-15 rifle in the front seat."
Dellacroce said Robey had a 9mm handgun in a holster on his hip and two additional handguns inside the vehicle.
Officers then located a Ziploc bag inside the vehicle containing what appeared to be an explosive device with wiring, prompting houses in the area to be evacuated.
Police said the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office Bomb Disposal Team, FBI and ATF responded to assist with the investigation.
Officials said the bomb disposal team determined the device safe at about 12:45 a.m. Monday and preliminary testing determined it was not an explosive item.
An additional seven items were removed from the vehicle by the sheriff's office bomb team and will undergo further testing, Dellacroce said.
"They found seven other devices of concern that the bomb squad took away," Del Toro said.
Investigators said Robey spoke with them but gave no indication on what his intent was Sunday evening.
"We need to find out what his intentions were, whether it was an actual threat to someone else or if he was dealing with a crisis," Del Toro said. "I can tell you he made some statements to us that were a little bit concerning to us, considering he thinks he's being followed."
Police said Robey is an active member of the U.S. Army and was on leave while visiting Port St. Lucie from Kentucky.
Robey was arrested and taken to the St. Lucie County Jail for possession of a hoax bomb, three counts of carrying a concealed weapon and two counts of attempted escape as he tried to remove his handcuffs while in custody.
Bond was set at $130,000.
The judge ordered him held on house arrest with a GPS monitor if he posts bail.