A 37-year-old Oklahoma man is facing a felony terrorism hoax complaint after police say he threatened to blow up a woman and her dog with a fake bomb during a street confrontation in Southwest Oklahoma City last Monday. Gerardo Oveido Mendoza Jr. was taken into custody near S.W. 39th Street and S. Pennsylvania Avenue after officers say a search of his backpack turned up several brown tubes taped together with black duct tape and wires designed to look like an explosive device.
The incident began when a 911 caller reported that a suspect had made alarming statements toward a victim and then walked away with a bicycle, according to KOKH. Officers responding to the disturbance near S.W. 39th and S. Pennsylvania Avenue learned that the victim had been walking her dog when Mendoza allegedly yelled at her, per the incident report cited by the station. The victim told police Mendoza claimed to have a bomb in his backpack and said he would blow up her, her dog, and the world.
Officers Stop Suspect, Find Taped Tubes and a Glass Pipe
Officers stopped a man matching the suspect's description and conducted a pat-frisk, during which they discovered a glass pipe in his pocket, the incident report states. A search of the backpack allegedly turned up the taped-together tubes and wiring that prompted a callout for specialized bomb technicians. Mendoza told officers the black backpack was not his, according to the report.
The Oklahoma City Police Department Bomb Squad responded to the scene and determined the device was not active, calling it an inert fake explosive device. OKCPD's bomb squad is one of six FBI-certified accredited bomb squads in Oklahoma, and its technicians train through a six-week basic course at the FBI Hazardous Devices School at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, with continuous monthly tactical training required to maintain certification, according to background information from the City of Oklahoma City.
Multiple Complaints, Including a Felony Terrorism Hoax
Mendoza was arrested on complaints of threatening to perform an act of violence, terrorism hoax, unlawful possession of paraphernalia, and fugitive from justice, per the report obtained by KOKH. The threatening-violence complaint is typically a misdemeanor under Oklahoma law, carrying up to six months in county jail, while the paraphernalia complaint tied to the glass pipe is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in county jail and a fine of as much as $1,000 for a first offense.
The terrorism hoax complaint carries far steeper exposure. Oklahoma law defines a terrorism hoax as willful conduct simulating an act of terrorism that causes a victim to reasonably believe a terror act is happening against a person, place, or population — and the statute applies whether or not the device is actually functional. A conviction under the Class B4 felony statute can bring up to 10 years in the State Penitentiary, along with mandatory victim restitution and reimbursement of emergency response costs. Separately, Oklahoma law also criminalizes displaying or threatening to use a simulated bomb as a felony punishable by three to 10 years in state prison, regardless of whether the device could actually explode.
Fugitive Complaint Points to Out-of-State Case
The fugitive from justice complaint suggests Mendoza has an outstanding legal matter in another state. Under Oklahoma's Uniform Criminal Extradition Act, someone arrested on that type of complaint is held pending formal requisition papers from the state where they are accused, meaning any transfer would require verified arrest warrants before proceeding. It remains unclear which state is seeking Mendoza or what underlying charge prompted the complaint, and it is not yet known whether the Oklahoma County District Attorney's Office will file formal felony charges in the terrorism hoax case.
The confrontation happened within OKCPD's Southwest Division, which patrols reporting districts stretching south toward the Canadian River as part of a department covering nearly 700 square miles citywide. The incident follows a sheriff's plea on suspected bombs issued in June, when Oklahoma County Sheriff Tommie Johnson III urged residents never to move or transport a suspected explosive and instead call 911 so bomb technicians could evaluate it on scene. That guidance came after several local incidents in which residents brought suspected explosives directly to police stations, and it followed a separate case in May in which a bomb threat emptied a Checotah Walmart and prompted a bomb squad response.
