Police say a Las Vegas man tried to pull off a low-budget Hollywood heist by using road flares dressed up as bombs to scare a local bank into handing over cash. Instead, he landed in handcuffs on suspicion of attempted robbery and communicating a bomb threat after a tense Thursday morning scare outside a Bank of America near Rancho Drive and Craig Road.
Fake Bomb Scare Shuts Down Busy Stretch Of Rancho
Metro police shut down Rancho Drive between Landon Ridge Avenue and Craig Road while bomb squad technicians checked out what was first reported as a suspicious item near the branch. The street stayed closed for more than two hours, tangling traffic across the northwest valley, before crews cleared the scene and declared the items safe, according to Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Investigators Say “Devices” Were Just Road Flares And Gadgets
When detectives took a closer look, they found the so-called devices were actually road flares taped to an older cell phone, a battery box and a handheld tower-fan remote. Copper wiring was wrapped around parts of the setup, but investigators noted the wires were not inserted into the flares and that the components had no mechanism that could cause an explosion. Police said a caller had instructed Bank of America employees to stuff a bag with cash and place it in a trash can at another location. FBI agents helped by tracing the bomb threat call to a prepaid phone, according to News 3 Las Vegas.
Trash Can Clue, Mercedes Getaway And Arrest
Surveillance video from the area showed a man tossing a phone into a garbage bin behind the bank, then driving away in a Mercedes-Benz sedan. Detectives later tracked that vehicle to an apartment complex, where they arrested Everette Lee Peeples. He was booked on suspicion of attempted robbery and communicating a bomb threat and, according to News 3 Las Vegas, Peeples "declined an interview without an attorney." Court records show he posted bond with a condition that he stay out of trouble.
