# Man Explodes After Being Forced to Rob Bank, Murderer Sought **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 1, 2003, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-explodes-after-being-forced-to-rob-bank-murderer-sought/198919 "2003-09-01T04:40:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![Doc\_Nickel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5fc32e/32.png) [@Doc\_Nickel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doc_Nickel)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2003, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-explodes-after-being-forced-to-rob-bank-murderer-sought/198919/241 "2003-09-07T06:38:56Z")
A little something for that scratchy throat there, **Mr. B**? > [@](#): > > \*\* An FBI spokesman said state and local police did everything right in handling the bomb.\*\* A telephone call to state police Cpl. Mark Zaleski was not immediately returned Friday. > > Erie police Chief Charles E. Bowers said the response time was good. **He added it was not surprising police didn’t call a bomb squad until they were certain there was a bomb.** Bank robbers often say they have an explosive when they do not, he said. [sub]Bolding mine[/sub]. I know you’d still like to paint the entire collected Pennsylvania Law Enforcement establishment as incompetent boobs who intentionally let Wells die because they thought it’d make great footage for the cameramen from _COPS_, or perhaps _Jackass_, but the consensus is they did everything they _could_ have done, and everything they _should_ have done. The collar had a live bomb, and **four seperate locks**. The fault here is NOT with the PD, the FBI or the bomb squad- the fault lies firmly, entirely, and wholly on the shoulders of the maniac who strapped an explosive charge to the man. To others still reading- 'couple of points I noted in the news: Wells supposedly requested $250K, which changes the speculation on the possible take. Wells was also apparently instructed to drive to several seperate locations to find the keys with which to disarm the bomb. Why, I couldn’t say- perhaps the bomber would have them staked out so he could see if the victim were being followed? Still doesn’t answer the question of how the money was supposed to make it back to the bomber… ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2003, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-explodes-after-being-forced-to-rob-bank-murderer-sought/198919/242 "2003-09-07T15:14:16Z")
The Erie on-line paper today(Sunday) has the best summary of the bomb squad controversy I’ve seen.[http://goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20030907/FRONTPAGE/109070373](http://goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20030907/FRONTPAGE/109070373) ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2003, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-explodes-after-being-forced-to-rob-bank-murderer-sought/198919/243 "2003-09-07T17:32:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Doghouse Reilly \* > \*\*I certainly wasn’t expecting the Knights Templar. > \ \*\* _Nobody_ expects the Knights Templar! ---
**Author:** ![El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/41988e/32.png) [@El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Cid_Viscoso)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2003, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-explodes-after-being-forced-to-rob-bank-murderer-sought/198919/244 "2003-09-07T17:54:35Z")
**Doc** , as usual, a most balanced and respectful post to my rabble-rousing phlegm. It’s just my opinion, but 26 minutes is too long to take before deciding the thing’s a bomb, regardless of how difficult the thing might be to defuse. I would hope my cries of “this thing’s a fuckin’ bomb!” might get them to call the bomb squad. Then again, I’d hate to disturb their Canasta game or whatever was more important… 26 minutes. Look at the footage, read the reports. They cuffed the poor bastard, then realized he in fact had a necklace bomb and beat feet back to a safe area. What did they do in that 26 minutes that they couldn’t have done in say, two? And I know it’s convenient to quote the FBI and the police chief, but truly, what alternative do they have? _“Yep, it was a debacle all the way around,” Zaleski said, in a rare moment of clarity._ B ---
**Author:** ![lucwarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@lucwarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lucwarm)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2003, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-explodes-after-being-forced-to-rob-bank-murderer-sought/198919/245 "2003-09-07T18:04:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mr. B \* > \*\ ***Doc** , as usual, a most balanced and respectful post to my rabble-rousing phlegm. It’s just my opinion, but 26 minutes is too long to take before deciding the thing’s a bomb, regardless of how difficult the thing might be to defuse. I would hope my cries of “this thing’s a fuckin’ bomb!” might get them to call the bomb squad. Then again, I’d hate to disturb their Canasta game or whatever was more important… > > 26 minutes. Look at the footage, read the reports. They cuffed the poor bastard, then realized he in fact had a necklace bomb and beat feet back to a safe area. What did they do in that 26 minutes that they couldn’t have done in say, two? > > B \*\* For what it’s worth, it seems to me that **Mr. B** might have a point here. For one thing, innocent people are regularly subject to arrest and other inconvenience by law enforcement on the ground that all statements about bombs must be taken seriously. If that’s the policy of law enforcement in general, then why wasn’t the bomb squad called immediately? Second, the guy did have a noticeable bulge under his shirt which would have seemed to back up his claim. I’d be curious to know when the police started keeping their distance from the guy and when they first called the bomb squad. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2003, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-explodes-after-being-forced-to-rob-bank-murderer-sought/198919/246 "2003-09-07T18:07:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mr. B \* > \*\* It’s just my opinion, but 26 minutes is too long to take before… \*\* Well, I’ve decided that 26 minutes is too long for you to have responded to the last comment. This is conclusive proof that you are are a complete idiot. Just using your own “logic”. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/41988e/32.png) [@El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Cid_Viscoso)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2003, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-explodes-after-being-forced-to-rob-bank-murderer-sought/198919/247 "2003-09-07T18:14:24Z")
> [@](#): > > _lucwarm_ > I’d be curious to know when the police started keeping their distance from the guy and when they first called the bomb squad. > [@](#): > > [_\_](http://goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20030907/FRONTPAGE/109070373) > > Troopers completed what Zaleski called a “textbook” traffic stop, instructing Wells to keep his hands visible and unlock his passenger-side door before allowing him out of the car. This happened between 2:40 and 2:50 p.m. Within that span of time, Wells, 46, was handcuffed and began talking to troopers about the bomb strapped to him underneath his T-shirt. > > State police grabbed a tool to cut the shirt, revealing that Wells was not lying, at least not about the bomb. > > Troopers backed away from Wells and secured a perimeter around him before calling the Erie Bomb Squad, the only officers in Erie County authorized and trained to defuse explosives. > > A call from one of the troopers was received by Erie’s officer in charge at the time, Lt. Bob Johns. An incident report records the time of that call as 3:04 p.m. > > The bomb truck parked about 70 yards from Wells’ body at approximately 3:21 p.m., three minutes after the blast. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/41988e/32.png) [@El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Cid_Viscoso)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2003, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-explodes-after-being-forced-to-rob-bank-murderer-sought/198919/248 "2003-09-07T18:20:59Z")
It occurs to me **Tapioca** resembles [Robert Lowell](http://guilds.outpost10f.com/~poetry/poetry/e_bishop.html) right about now… Shake it, li’l 'dillo. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2003, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-explodes-after-being-forced-to-rob-bank-murderer-sought/198919/249 "2003-09-07T18:39:15Z")
From **samclem** ’s link, [Man Tells FBI He Didn’t Know Bank Robber](http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/ledgerenquirer/news/6703456.htm): > [@](#): > > Employees at EMSCO Inc. in Girard told the FBI that Johnson didn’t have the expertise to build the collar locked to Wells’ neck. Geez, nothing like a less-than-glowing appraisal of one’s competence from a company with such a [great reputation](http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&safe=off&q=EMSCO%2C+inc+girard&btnG=Google+Search). ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-explodes-after-being-forced-to-rob-bank-murderer-sought/198919/250 "2003-09-12T13:58:51Z")
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a [copycat.](http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/Midwest/09/11/copycat.bankrobbery.ap/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-explodes-after-being-forced-to-rob-bank-murderer-sought/198919/251 "2003-09-12T14:06:31Z")
> [@](#): > > A bank teller gave the woman an unspecified amount of money, which was recovered when she was arrested Thursday afternoon at her home in nearby Holt, about 25 miles northeast of Kansas City. Police traced her from her license plate, which was noted by a bank employee. Good god. She drove her **own car** with her **own license plates** to go rob a bank? I hope everyone in prison points and laughs. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-explodes-after-being-forced-to-rob-bank-murderer-sought/198919/252 "2003-09-12T15:54:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DanielWithrow \* > \*\*Good god. She drove her **own car** with her **own license plates** to go rob a bank? > > I hope everyone in prison points and laughs. > > Daniel \*\* She’ll probably end up in an Institution for the Criminally Inept along with quite a few [friends](http://crime.about.com/library/blfiles/blstupid.htm). ---
**Author:** ![El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/41988e/32.png) [@El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Cid_Viscoso)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-explodes-after-being-forced-to-rob-bank-murderer-sought/198919/253 "2003-09-18T16:21:17Z")
Ladies and gentlemen, we have [another bombing](http://www.local6.com/news/2491417/detail.html)… ---
**Author:** ![vibrotronica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@vibrotronica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vibrotronica)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-explodes-after-being-forced-to-rob-bank-murderer-sought/198919/254 "2003-09-18T18:42:11Z")
Oh God, that’s awful! But what makes you think it was related to the bank robbery? ---
**Author:** ![Venoma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c4cdca/32.png) [@Venoma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Venoma)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-explodes-after-being-forced-to-rob-bank-murderer-sought/198919/255 "2003-09-18T19:19:34Z")
AGH! She bought it here! _crosses fingers and hopes hopes hopes it was some sort of unexpected chemical reaction as opposed to a nascent unabomber_ ---
**Author:** ![Nangleator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e19adc/32.png) [@Nangleator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nangleator)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-explodes-after-being-forced-to-rob-bank-murderer-sought/198919/256 "2003-09-18T19:46:13Z")
From Lissa: > [@](#): > > Why did the robber need a real bomb? Let’s plan this from the robber’s point of view. Get some poor pizza delivery guy to show up at some random, remote location (check.) Place bomb on poor guy and give him instructions (check.) Poor guy’s mission is to rob bank (check) and drop money off at specific location (this is where the pizza guy failed.) I’ll bet his further instructions were to continue on to place where bomb is deactivated. Unfortunately for poor guy, the real plan only involves his death. The robber just waits near the drop-off point to see if police are in pursuit, goes to collect money if the coast is clear, and then robber heads for the hills. Poor guy (only one who sees actual robber) dies. No matter what happens. In this case, the robber is only out one bomb. He’ll try this again, and instruct the next poor guy to avoid the police. If I knew this, as the robber’s victim, my best option would be to attempt bomb removal in the immediate presence of the robber. I’d find out real quick whether or not the bomb was triggered to go off with tampering. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-explodes-after-being-forced-to-rob-bank-murderer-sought/198919.md?page=12)