PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – An alleged attempted robbery at PNC Bank resulted in the bombing squad being called on Wednesday afternoon.
Pittsburgh Police Department said it was around noon on Wednesday when a man walked into the PNC Bank near Fifth Avenue and Washington Place and handed a note to an agent. The police wouldn’t say what was on the slip.
“All I know is that there was cause for concern bringing out the bomb squad,” said Maurice Matthews, spokesman for the Pittsburgh Public Safety Assistant.
Officers came and found the man outside with a backpack. He was taken into custody without any problems. Nearby companies were evacuated as a precaution because of the backpack.
(Photo: NewsChopper2 / KDKA)
“They did a search in the area. They searched the bag in front of the door and a box outside, ”said Matthews at the scene.
Public security said police closed the 900 block on Fifth Avenue during the investigation. Washington Place between Duquesne University and Center Avenue was also closed. The police told people to avoid the area.
ATTENTION:
Police closed the 900 block on 5th Avenue on a robbery investigation.
Washington Place between Duquesne University and Center Avenue is closed.
Avoid the area.
Further information follows.
PIO is on site in Washington and in the center. pic.twitter.com/EE21UMViM8
– Pgh Public Safety (@PghPublicSafety) May 26, 2021
NewsChopper 2 flew over the scene that featured a heavy police presence. The bomb squad was called and the KDKA cameras recorded robots checking out a backpack.
(Photo: KDKA)
With his backpack possibly suspicious and sitting at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Washington Place, police set up a perimeter near the PPG Paints Arena.
“It was just a normal book bag, I think there were papers and other stuff in it,” Matthews said during a press conference.
The bomb squad and K-9 unit swept the area to make sure everything was safe.
“A protective sweep through the area – anything to hide in got the K-9 through the robot,” said Matthews.
(Photo: KDKA photojournalist Ian Smith)
The police did not report any injuries and opened the area around 2:00 p.m.
At this point, we have not been given an identity for the detained man or any possible charges.
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