Bank robber did not leave behind bomb
A member of the Berrien County Bomb Squad, wearing a bomb suit, readies to enter Chemical Bank in Niles Friday.
No bomb was found inside the Chemical Bank in Niles, which was robbed earlier today, according to police.
Niles Police Chief Jim Millin said the Berrien County Bomb Squad used a special robot to x-ray a suspicious duffel bag just inside the bank’s Main Street entrance. The examination revealed no explosive device, but Millin wouldn’t say what was in the bag.
The majority of police road blocks around the bank, 407 E. Main St., have been lifted.
The duffel bag is believed to have been left behind by the same person who robbed the bank around 11:31 a.m. today.
Millin said the suspect was wearing a coat, hat, glasses and scarf when he or she entered the bank through the Main Street doors. The suspect handed the teller a note indicating it was a robbery and that there was a bomb in the building.
The suspect then fled with an unknown amount of cash out the bank’s Fifth Street entrance.
While police aren’t 100 percent certain about the bank robber’s gender, Millin said there is reason to believe it is a woman. No one was injured in the robbery.
The bank was evacuated by police as a precaution.
No suspect has been apprehended.
