Man who allegedly threatened to ‘blow up Roanoke’ arrested

ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) - A Gainesville, Virginia native who allegedly threatened to ‘blow up Roanoke’ has been arrested on federal charges, according to the United States Department of Justice’s Western District of Virginia.

33-year-old Brandon Hayward is charged via federal criminal complaint with the use of a telephone to make a threat to injure or destroy property by means of fire or explosives and one count of communicating a threat in interstate commerce.

According to court documents, August 15, Hayward called the InFirst Federal Credit Union, which is located in the Poff Federal building in Roanoke. The bank branch manager talked to Hayward and attempted to help him with a recurring charge on his account. Hayward, who had become unsatisfied with the outcome of his complaint, told the branch manager, “I am going to get you raped… I will get you killed, b***h.” Hayward also told the branch manager, “I am going to blow up Roanoke.”

Hayward then told the branch manager he was going to get his shotgun and Google her name, adding: “You think you’re safe in Roanoke; you’re not,” according to the US Attorney’s Office.

The department says Hayward was arrested August 18 without incident.