Homeless Man Charged for St. Pete Bomb Threat was Arrested in Gulfport

ST. PETERSBURG– A homeless man was arrested Monday afternoon after officials say he left a duffel bag outside the Pinellas County Health Department building and told witnesses there was a bomb in the bag Monday morning.

28-year-old Brian James Russell is charged with making a bomb threat in St. Petersburg. He was arrested around 1 p.m. on Monday, for an unrelated charge in Gulfport. The Gulfport Police Department arrested him for Giving a False Name during an investigation of a suspicious person call at 27^th Ave S. and Tifton St.

After the arrest, Russell was linked to the bomb threat in St. Petersburg. According to St. Petersburg Police, Russell left a black duffel bag near the front door of the Pinellas County Health Department at 205 Dr. MLK Street North around 9:45 a.m. Witnesses say he told them he wanted to committee suicide and walked away.

The Tampa Regional Bomb Squad determined the bag was harmless. They found Russell’s identification in the bag and witnesses from the scene later identified Russell.

Russell has been transported to the Pinellas County Jail. In addition to the charge of making a bomb threat Russell faces a misdemeanor charge for giving a false name to Gulfport Police Officers.