BATTLE CREEK (WKZO) — Is he a bank robber or a terrorist, or both? That may be a question that Calhoun County’s Prosecutor may have to decide after a terrifying robbery at a Chase Bank Branch on Hill Brady Road near Battle Creek Tuesday morning..
The robber, believed to be a 50-year-old from Lawton, walked into the bank and demanded money, claiming he was carrying anthrax.
It touched off not only a theft investigation but a hazardous materials response.
Everyone who had contact with the man underwent emergency decontamination including police, as a precaution.
He was stopped in his White Pickup a short distance from the bank and arrested. It closed Hill Brady and Skyline for several hours.
The National Guard’s 51st Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team based nearby at Fort Custer is trained to respond to such emergencies, and took over the removal and handling of the powdery substance in a container found in the pick-up, with the help of an FBI agent.
It would be hours before tests showed that the substance in the container was not anthrax.The suspect could be arraigned Wednesday.
