Cops: Disgruntled Member Causes Bomb Scare At Philadelphia Gym
By Steve Beck, Syma Chowdhry
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A disgruntled member caused a bomb scare at a gym in Philadelphia early Thursday morning, police said.
The incident happened at the Planet Fitness gym located in the 500 block of Adams Avenue.
According to police, the incident began when a gym member, who was unhappy with him membership, got into an argument with employees and threatened to blow up the business.
The member then left, but returned hours later and again got into a verbal confrontation with several employees. This time, the man left the building, but he left a military-style canister outside the building that had a label that read: "Danger, Do Not Open."
Gym employees spotted the package and called 911.
"After I looked at it, it did look suspicious so I went in and called the police."
Police arrived at the scene and the bomb squad was eventually brought out.
Members with the bomb squad determined that the device was not explosive.
Gym member, Kamal Gangbo says, "That's crazy. I can't understand..."
The suspect, who lives a short distance from the gym, was taken into police custody. A gym employee told Eyewitness News that the man was a fairly new member.
An employee, Robert Cooper, says the suspect has been friendly and never made him feel nervous until now.
"He's a nice guy but, you just don't know how to take him. What he did tonight, it really threw everybody off. So that made everybody a little scared."
Employees say they do not know what exactly led up to the incident, but they do know the suspect's gym membership was being canceled even before he made any threats.
The suspect's identity was not immediately released.
The gym is open for business.
