Man charged with felony in bomb-on-bus prank

Jared Brandon Jackson was joking around, trying to re-create a scene from the movie "Speed" when he shouted from a pickup that a Metro bus crossing the Evergreen Point Bridge on Monday had a bomb aboard, charging papers say.

But King County Prosecutor Norm Maleng said there was nothing funny about the incident.

"If this was meant as a prank, no one who was at the scene Monday night was laughing," Maleng said yesterday.

No bomb was found aboard the bus. But the bridge was closed for three hours, and thousands of people were detoured to clogged roads.

Saying the stunt "deserved criminal consequences," Maleng charged Jackson, 23, of Redmond, with threat to bomb, a felony that usually carries a sentence of three to nine months in jail.

Maleng said that under state law, Jackson cannot defend himself by claiming the threat was meant to be a hoax.

Jackson, who works for a painting company, is expected to be arraigned at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the King County Courthouse, according to Dan Donohoe, a spokesman for Maleng's office. Jackson is being held at the King County Jail in lieu of $25,000 bail.

In the 1994 movie "Speed," which starred Keanu Reeves, a police officer is targeted by a villain who plants a bomb aboard a Los Angeles city bus. The bomb is triggered to explode if the bus' speed drops below 50 mph.

Maleng said "there was no evidence" that anyone in the truck with Jackson was involved in the incident. Police originally had said the driver of the truck might have sped up to try to catch the bus.

According to prosecutors, Metro bus driver Parnell Coyle was driving Route 311 from Seattle to Woodinville and Duvall when he saw Jackson, riding in the bed of the pickup, wave his arms and heard him repeatedly scream, "There's a bomb on your bus."

Coyle stopped the bus at the east end of the bridge, called a supervisor and activated an emergency button on board. He then evacuated the passengers. Police closed the bridge in both directions as bomb units responded.

After seeing the effects of his stunt on the news, Jackson called Redmond police Monday. He was arrested Tuesday at State Patrol district headquarters in Bellevue.

Maleng said even though Jackson identified himself to police, he still must face jail time.

"It is not enough to say that you're sorry," Maleng said.

Joshua Robin's phone message number is 206-464-8255. His e-mail address is jrobin@seattletimes.com.