Posted on 09/02/2003 11:44:52 AM PDT by weegee
(CBS/AP) The FBI on Tuesday released photos of a metal collar found around the neck of a pizza deliveryman who robbed a bank and then was killed when a bomb strapped to his body exploded.
FBI Agent Bob Rudge said the bureau hopes that by releasing the photos of the collar and locking device, someone may come forward to help law enforcement solve the strange case.
A preliminary exam performed on the collar showed that it was likely not commercially manufactured, Rudge said Tuesday.
"We do not believe it has any legitimate industrial use," said Rudge. "Its most likely purpose was specifically for attaching the device to the neck of the individual that went into the PNC Bank.
Arrested Thursday after a bank robbery, Brian Douglas Wells told authorities someone had forced him to rob the bank. He told officers a bomb was attached to him, but he died when it exploded before the bomb squad could get there.
At a news conference Tuesday, Rudge showed photographs of the triple-banded metal collar he said was around Wells' neck and a lock that kept it in place. The bomb was attached to the collar, authorities said.
Police had surrounded Wells, 46, a short time after he robbed a PNC Bank branch outside Erie in northwestern Pennsylvania. Wells had gone to deliver a pizza to a mysterious address in a remote area about an hour before he turned up at the bank with the bomb strapped to his body.
When police stopped Wells, he told them about the bomb and asked why authorities weren't helping to get it off him. Police backed off and were waiting for the bomb squad when the bomb exploded. No one else was injured.
According to police and the FBI, Wells produced an "extensive" robbery note at the bank, which has been sent to handwriting experts. Rudge did not release any additional information about the note Tuesday.
I think there is a possibility of up to 80 percent that this individual is innocent," Professor Robert Heibel, a retired FBI agent, told CBS News Correspondent Mika Brzezinski.
Heibel said Wells likely was set up, a tactic more common to drug runners or terrorists than bank robbers.
"He was being threatened that if he didn't rob the bank, once they hung that device around his neck let's say, then he becomes their patsy," Heibel said. "There are a number of ways they could have convinced him that it is a live device and from there on he is really at their mercy."
Meanwhile, officials released information from an autopsy on one of Wells' co-workers, Robert Pinetti, 43, who was found dead Sunday at his home in nearby Lawrence Park Township. Authorities do not know if his death is connected with Wells' case.
Pinetti had a history of substance abuse and preliminary testing appeared to show methadone and "valium-type" drugs in his system, authorities said. There was no trauma, officials said.
I saw the detective on GMA this morning and he stated that he had a very unusual weapon on his person. When asked if it was a gun he stated is was kinda like a gun.
This just gets stranger by the minute.
Or, somebody else (made, and) put the collar on him, and gave him a custom gun in case the bank wasn't impressed with the collar.
My point -- the fact that he had it does not necessarily lead to the conclusion that he willingly had it.
Have to wonder if all 4 locks were locked. Did the authorities pick all of the locks? Did they find the key? Did they cut his head off?
Little detail as to how the collar was eventually removed.
It is dangerous to approach a body that is dead because of a known collar-bomb. What if there had been a second device with a delayed timer?
They're being a little too secretive for my peace of mind.
Show us the note, the gun, his picture!!!!!! And tell us how long this guy has been in this area.
Why do the police play 20 questions? Why not show a picture of the gun if they are going to talk about a second "unique" weapon?
While is hasn't been confirmed, and I very well could be wrong, the perp says "This thing is ticking...".
This device was built as fool proof as possible. It had 4 locks. Whoever built it knows there are devices out there than can disable digital timers remotely. While I doubt the Erie bomb squad has one of those devices, there are departments that do.
Like Tony Ditomo?
Mama Mia's owner, Tony Ditomo, said he could not talk about his friend
(Same article from 193)
Speculation is fun. Impatience for "the answer" is natural (I think).
Maybe the media promised this guy that his family would be rich, in exchange for a captivating story (I doubt it, but you can see how far speculation can go, if one considers news-story to be a motive).
I think he was a victim, not a perp. Based mostly on 1) my prejudice relating to the intelligence of pizza delivery people (good heart, weak mind) and 2) his demeanor.
I am no expert by any means, but could the wires be tapped into and a bypass loop configured so that when the device and wires were cut the circut would remain intact?
Is there information that would jeopardize the case? Is there information of importance to national security?
If the bank robber had not been apprehended, the footage would have been released already ("help us catch him").
Even the Tampa teen and John Lihnd Walker had non-crime photos released (there is always a yearbook photo and driver's license even if the family doesn't want to share)
We all know about the bomb in the movies that will explode if the wires are cut but we are dealing real world. If the battery is severed from the detonator, what are the odds of the bomb exploding? How many bombs are really "tamper resistant"?
It's as much protection of ego as it is protection of the case. (I do the same thing in private life).
The goal of the media is to maximize revenue. Sometimes being stingy with details facilitates that objective.
If this is a "drug hit", somebody went to a whole lot of trouble.
On the other hand, there is another thread discussing the "gun" Wells was found with. On that thread, there's an article with an FBI agent saying he had only seen these type of explosives in one other country...Columbia.
WHOA!!!
Hey, where's that poster who knew that "bomba" was Spanish for fireman? Don't they speak Spanish in Colombia??
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