Suspect who called in threat into Montgomery VA hospital identified

61-year-old Michael Barnett/Source: Montgomery County Detention Facility

The man who called in a threat into the Montgomery VA hospital has been identified.

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency tells Action 8 News that around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, the Central Alabama Veterans Medical Center on Perry Hill Road received a threatening call into the crisis hotline.

VA officials say the suspect said he had an AR-15 and a .45 handgun and was going to kill everyone at the facility and would kill himself.

Special Agents with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s State Bureau of Investigation responded to assist with the lock down and search for the suspect. During the search, people were told to stay away from the area.

At around noon, 61-year-old Michael Barnett was arrested at his home in Camp Hill. He was then taken to a mental health facility.

Barnett is charged with Making Terroristic Threats and Rendering False Alarm to a Hospital.

He is currently in the Montgomery County Detention Facility on an $18,000 bond.

The lock down at the Central Alabama Veterans Medical Center has since been lifted.