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Bomb threat to Daytona Beach bank marks 3rd in city in three days

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — A bomb threat was called in at Fifth-Third Bank in Daytona Beach Monday making it third in three days in Daytona Beach.

The first threat was made on Saturday to a Publix on S. Atlantic Avenue. Then, a manager at a different Publix called police saying she was told to evacuate the store and wire money to London.

When police arrived, they said the suspect called again, but officers didn't find any bombs.

In Monday’s incident, about 100 people were evacuated from the building just after 9:30 a.m.

Officials said the threat was made to the bank, which sits on the ground floor of the 10-story building on Seabreeze Boulevard.

However, law firms and other businesses, including WFTV’s Daytona Bureau, have offices in the building.

The FBI, Daytona Beach police and the Sheriff's Office bomb squad were all at the scene on Monday.

Police said the call came from a man who spoke English very well, but he may have handed to the phone to another man with a strong accent, authorities said.

The man demanded $1,000 for an overseas account and said if an employee did not come outside with the money in a bag, they would blow the building up.

“They said that there was somebody in the bank that was watching and they also told the people here at the bank not to hang the phone up,” said Jimmie Flynt of the Daytona Beach Police Deartment.

Channel 9 spoke to workers who were inside at the time, and they said it was certainly an inconvenience, but something that has to be taken seriously.

"It's always an inconvenience to be disrupted from work, but I guess safety first. So, it's an inconvenience but something I don't mind for security reasons, I understand,” said attorney Mike Rodriguez.