Police say a man is in custody after he brought a bucket of suspected Molotov cocktails and other weapons to Regions Hospital on Thursday morning.

According to St. Paul Police Sgt. Mike Ernster, around 9:30 a.m., hospital security asked an off-duty St. Paul officer who was doing contract work at the hospital to assist with a man who had just parked a car outside an entrance and was now inside talking with security.

Security advised the officer that the man was familiar to hospital staff and that they had reason to believe there were Molotov cocktails in the vehicle, Ernster said. The officer looked inside and saw a bucket of containers that were filled with liquid and had rags stuffed in the top. A crossbow and an arrow were also inside.

The off-duty officer called for backup, and as police detained the suspect, 33-year-old Senai Tesfaldet, they found a large knife up his sleeve, Ernster said. He also had some drugs in his possession.

Field testing of the suspected Molotov cocktails indicated they contained a flammable liquid. Ernster said SPPD will further test the substance as part of its investigation.

Ernster said the quick actions taken by hospital security and the off-duty officers may have saved lives.

“Something like this could have caused a lot of panic and it could have made a lot of people anxious, but it also could have injured a lot of people, so we’re very happy that the coordination, the efforts that went into this, did not allow any of that to happen,” Ernster said.

Tesfaldet was booked into the Ramsey County Jail on suspicion of possession of an incendiary device and possession of a controlled substance. He has not been formally charged.

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS found Tesfaldet has a history of mental illness and being civilly committed.

About a month ago, his family reported “threatening behavior,” according to court documents.

Court papers show he also threatened to burn down a house in Little Canada about a week later.

Police found knives, a machete and a bow with arrows in the driveway, along with a cup filled with lighter fluid.

The people who live there stated they did not know Tesfaldet.