A 21-year-old security guard at Westfield mall in Carlsbad was arrested Wednesday and is accused of making a false bomb report and planting a fake device at the mall, police said.

Police were called to the mall on El Camino Real on Sept. 12 after the guard reported he had found what he thought was a bomb in a bathroom, Carlsbad police Lt. Chris Boyd said in a statement.

Several stores were evacuated as the sheriff’s bomb team, police officers and firefighters investigated.

During a subsequent investigation, Carlsbad police detectives learned the security guard had made three similar reports since 2012, Boyd said.


In those cases, the guard reported finding suspicious devices outside his apartment.

He also reported finding a pipe bomb while working as a security guard at Horton Plaza in downtown San Diego, Boyd said. The guard had also made reports of finding graffiti that indicated bombs had been placed and set to go off at specific times at Horton Plaza.

On Sept. 18, he reported finding graffiti in the Carlsbad mall threatening a shooting would happen that day, Boyd said.

During an interview on Wednesday with Carlsbad police Detective Stephan Tashoff, the suspect, identified as Abraham Nava, confessed to planting the fake bomb and reporting a false bomb threat.


He also confessed to writing the graffiti at the Carlsbad mall and at Horton Plaza, Boyd said.

Nava suffered chest pains while at the police department and was taken to a hospital for evaluation.

He was booked into Vista jail on charges of placing a false bomb, making criminal threats and burglary.