Saturday, August 30, 2003

By The Associated Press

ERIE, Pa. -- Police and the FBI were investigating the possibility that a man may have been forced into robbing a bank, authorities said.

Brian Douglas Wells, 46, of Mill Creek, was killed when a bomb he was wearing exploded about 40 minutes after robbing a PNC Bank Thursday afternoon in Erie, according to state police.

State police Cpl. Mark Zaleski said Wells made a number of statements, including that he was forced to rob the bank, after police stopped him shortly after he left the bank with an undisclosed amount of money.

Wells told troopers that he was wearing an explosive device that was going to explode shortly and troopers observed the device under his shirt and moved away, Zaleski said.

Troopers called the Erie Bomb Squad and secured the area, but the device exploded before the bomb squad arrived, Zaleski said. The device exploded about at 3:20 p.m.

"You could hear it like a big old firecracker," said Matt Snippert, who was at a nearby restaurant. "There was a cloud of smoke and debris."

Zaleski said authorities don't know the exact circumstance surrounding the robbery and Wells' death, or how the device was detonated.

Wells died of the explosion but the cause of death had not been determined, Zaleski said.

Authorities obtained a search warrant for Wells' residence and carted evidence away, but Zaleski said the warrant was sealed and declined to say what was taken.

The evidence was sent to FBI laboratories in Washington, D.C.

Wells had been working as a pizza delivery man, according to police.

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