Police have released surveillance photos of a man they say robbed a bank in Falls Church, Virginia, on Tuesday and left behind a bag he said contained an explosive device.
Part of busy Route 50 was closed during the evening rush hour while a bomb squad used a robot to examine the backpack.
The man wearing a yellow hat and sunglasses entered the TD Bank at Route 50 and Patrick Henry Drive, claimed to have an explosive device in a backpack and demanded money, Fairfax County Police said.
He dropped the backpack at the front of the bank and fled with cash, police said. No one was hurt.
Police received an emergency call about the robbery shortly before 3:30 p.m. They evacuated nearby businesses and closed Route 50 westbound at Patrick Henry Drive and Route 50 eastbound at the ramp from Route 7 to Route 50. Exit ramps from the Home Depot store also were closed.
The bomb squad determined about 7 p.m. that the backpack and its contents were not hazardous.
The man is sought by Fairfax County Police and the FBI, which is offering a reward of $5,000.
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The same man is suspected of robbing a BB&T Bank about five miles west, on the 8100 block of Route 50, on June 1, police and the FBI said. In that robbery, the suspect also entered the bank, announced a robbery and left a bag he said was an explosive device. The contents of that bag also was found to be harmless.
Anyone with any information on the suspect is asked to contact Crime Solvers through their website or by calling 1-866-411-TIPS(8477), or Fairfax County Police at 703-691-2131.
