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Man Who Made Bomb Threat At Baltimore TV Station Appears In Court

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Tension on TV Hill. For the first time, the Howard County man who walked into Fox 45 wearing a hedgehog costume and claiming to have a bomb faced a judge Wednesday.

Meghan McCorkell has more on what happened in court.

Doctors are trying to determine if Alex Brizzi is competent to stand trial. At this point, they're still not sure.

Alex Brizzi, 25, gave a thumbs up to cameras as he walked, shackled, out of a Baltimore City courthouse.

It was a very different scene from the last time he was caught on camera -- inside Fox 45, tearing off the costume he was wearing, flashing what appeared to be a bomb and causing a lockdown throughout the area.

Police were forced to shoot Brizzi three times when he walked toward officers clutching what looked like a detonator. The device turned out to be a life preserver, wires, chocolate bars and part of a smoke detector.

Brizzi has been held without bail since the incident.

Wednesday in court, a judge asked Brizzi why he refused to talk to doctors treating him in jail. Answering in a loud, clear voice, he said: "I suppose I've been confused about the whole ordeal."

Doctors, who are deciding whether Brizzi is competent to stand trial, tell the court they want to see a video that Brizzi made of the incident. But police have that video in evidence.

Brizzi's family says he is being held in segregation in the prison, and they haven't been able to see him. They previously worried about his mental state.

"I don't know what to say... I don't think Alex is in his right mind right now," said Ed Brizzi, father.

Alex Brizzi faces ten charges, including arson, assault and reckless endangerment.

The judge has scheduled another hearing next week hoping another mental evaluation will be complete.

Both the prosecution and defense have also asked for a copy of the video Brizzi made of the bomb scare.

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