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FBI Raids Erie Home After Man's Bombing Death
WPXI(Channel 11 Pittsburgh) ^ | 9/05/02 | Gina Redmond

Posted on 09/05/2003 4:07:16 PM PDT by Dane

FBI Raids Erie Home After Man's Bombing Death
Man Robs Bank, Dies With Bomb Strapped To Body
Gina Redmond

POSTED: 5:35 p.m. EDT September 5, 2003
UPDATED: 5:42 p.m. EDT September 5, 2003

PITTSBURGH -- Late Friday afternoon, the FBI raided another house in downtown Erie in search of answers in a pizza delivery man's death.

And there's another bizarre twist to the death of Brian Wells, who was killed by a bomb that blew up after he robbed an Erie bank last week.

Police said Wells was carrying a second customized weapon during the bank robbery.

The transcript from the 911 call made shortly after the robbery was released Friday.

Witness: "The guy just walked out with I don't know how much cash in a bag and a bomb or something wrapped around his neck. He's sitting in the parking lot of McDonald's. I'm watching him out of my rear-view mirror now."

911 dispatcher: "You saw him with a bomb, or whatever it was?"

Witness: "Yea, he's got it strapped around his neck."

Police are still trying to figure out if Brian Wells was a willing participant in the bank robbery, or whether someone had put the bomb on him and forced him to rob the bank.

And there's another layer to this perplexing case. Investigators found a customized weapon: a single-shot firearm disguised as a walking cane.

They found the cane gun in Wells' car when he was arrested. The Erie Times and News reported that Wells carried the cane gun into the bank but never used it to threaten workers


TOPICS: Breaking News; Crime/Corruption; News/Current Events; US: Pennsylvania
KEYWORDS: bankrobber; brianwells; canebomb; collarbomb; erie; necklacebomb
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1 posted on 09/05/2003 4:07:16 PM PDT by Dane
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To: Dane
And then ?
2 posted on 09/05/2003 4:08:59 PM PDT by VRWC_minion (Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and most are right)
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To: Dane
Did the CIA and Mossad have a Garage Sale?
3 posted on 09/05/2003 4:09:14 PM PDT by cmsgop (If you Sprinkle When You Tinkle,...Be a Sweetie and Wipe the Seatie......)
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To: Dane
This is still eerie!
4 posted on 09/05/2003 4:11:02 PM PDT by SwinneySwitch (Freedom isn't Free - Support the Troops!!)
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To: VRWC_minion
Gave you what they have on thier website. The news is that the FBI searched a house other than Wells's.
5 posted on 09/05/2003 4:11:02 PM PDT by Dane
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To: Dane
Somebody set us up the bomb.
6 posted on 09/05/2003 4:12:56 PM PDT by dfwgator
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To: Dane
I love a mystery....and this really does qualify. Did they ever release what his friend died from???
7 posted on 09/05/2003 4:15:27 PM PDT by Ann Archy
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To: Dane
He was killed by the bomb and he was arrested? I must have had a longer week than I thought.
8 posted on 09/05/2003 4:16:13 PM PDT by Thank You Rush
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To: backhoe; piasa; HAL9000; All
ARTICLE SNIPPET: "And there's another layer to this perplexing case. Investigators found a customized weapon: a single-shot firearm disguised as a walking cane."


Links of Interest...


FOX NEWS.com: "FBI FOCUSES ON COLLAR BOMB IN PIZZA MAN'S DEATH" (September 2, 2003) (Read More...)

ANANOVA.com (AP): "POLICE DEFUSE NECKLACE BOMB" (ARTICLE SNIPPETS: "Police have disarmed a collar bomb placed around the neck of a Venezuelan man by Colombian rebels trying to extort money from him." ... "The bomb was constructed out of a galvanised tube filled with C-4 explosives. It was painted gold with the words FARC-EP, an acronym standing for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, Colombia's largest rebel army.") (July 1, 2003) (Read More...)

GOOGLE Search Term: "Necklace Bomb"

GOOGLE Search Term: "Collar Bomb"

GOOGLE Search Term: "Cane Gun"


9 posted on 09/05/2003 4:18:19 PM PDT by Cindy
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To: cmsgop

10 posted on 09/05/2003 4:20:03 PM PDT by restornu (Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.)
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To: Ann Archy
Not authoritative, but some stories hint at overdose. He was a drug user (traces of drugs in his urine).

He may have been distraught, or complicit.

Much more interesting than Kobe or Peterson (grin)

11 posted on 09/05/2003 4:21:21 PM PDT by Cboldt
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To: Thank You Rush
He was killed by the bomb and he was arrested? I must have had a longer week than I thought

Well since it seems that you just came back on the red eye flight from Mars, I'll fill in the details.

A bank robbery happened last Thursday in Erie, PA. A pizza deliveryman was stopped by the cops and he had the money on him.

He had a bomb collar around his neck, the bomb squad was on the way and the bomb blew up killing him. Two days later a person who worked in the same pizza shop with the bank robber died of an apparent drug overdose.

Hit topics and click Pennsylvania, and look at the headlines and you can get a much better background on the case.

12 posted on 09/05/2003 4:22:24 PM PDT by Dane
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To: restornu
I don't get it?
13 posted on 09/05/2003 4:25:00 PM PDT by cmsgop (If you Sprinkle When You Tinkle,...Be a Sweetie and Wipe the Seatie......)
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To: Devil_Anse
Ping...
14 posted on 09/05/2003 4:25:41 PM PDT by Lucy Lake
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To: Thank You Rush; Dane
Thanks, I was wondering too. I've only caught pieces of this story on the fly. I saw the movie 'Phonebooth' the other night and was wondering??? whatsup?
15 posted on 09/05/2003 4:27:17 PM PDT by My back yard
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To: Dane
This case just gets weirder and weirder. I wonder if they'll ever get to the truth of it.

I admit I have no ideas.

16 posted on 09/05/2003 4:28:10 PM PDT by LibKill (Heaven frowns on all things french, and democrat, AND ESPECIALLY CAT.)
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To: cmsgop
I understood your slur, So wet on you!
17 posted on 09/05/2003 4:28:40 PM PDT by restornu (Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.)
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To: Dane
Is there any truth to yet another twist I heard today? Authorities found notes on the dead man (pizza delivery guy) or in his car that gave him instructions to follow. Supposedly, after following the notes he would finally discover how to diffuse the bomb.
18 posted on 09/05/2003 4:36:27 PM PDT by Quilla
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Comment #19 Removed by Moderator

Comment #20 Removed by Moderator


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