LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville Metro Police's bomb squad was called to the Hall of Justice on Thursday after a man walked into the building and said he had a backpack full of explosives.

Col. Carl Yates, with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, said David Kennedy, 33, of Louisville, walked into the courthouse just before noon and said the explosives he had could blow up the building.

According to an arrest citation, Kennedy was holding a backpack in one hand, and a lighter in the other hand "trying to light something on fire."

That's when deputies approached Kennedy and told him several times to put the lighter down, the citation reads. Several other deputies approached, and continued to tell Kennedy to put the lighter and the backpack down.

Kennedy eventually threw the backpack and the lighter to the ground and "started towards" one of the deputies to go into the courthouse. Another deputy pushed Kennedy into a counter in an effort to get him to the ground, but he didn't move. 

Deputies used a taser and pepper spray to get Kennedy to the ground and handcuff him. 

Because Kennedy said that he "had enough to level the whole block," deputies called for the LMPD bomb squad and begin blocking off streets around the courthouse to the public. More than 500 people were evacuated from the courthouse, which was locked down until the bomb squad could give the "all clear." 

Kennedy was taken to University Hospital for treatment and observation, but has since been released. He was booked into Metro Corrections around 5 p.m. Thursday, according to the jail's online booking log.

Kennedy will be charged with terroristic threatening and 15 counts of wanton endangerment, criminal trespassing, assault and resisting arrest.

The 15 counts of wanton endangerment is for each of the deputies in the area of the security checkpoint. According to Kennedy's arrest citation, at least one deputy was in the line of pepper spray.

The Hall of Justice reopened about an hour after it was evacuated. Investigators determined there was no threat in the backpack.

On Friday, a not guilty plea was entered for Kennedy. In court, the judge set his bond at $50,000 with the condition of a referral for a mental health evaluation.

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