Valley Bombings And Robbery

The explosion outside The Spokesman-Review office in the Spokane Valley on Monday set off a chain of events that stretched well into the night.

This timeline of the afternoon’s events was compiled from police radio broadcasts, witness statements and law enforcement reports:

Bomb explodes at newspaper office. About 2:35 p.m., a man in a ski mask drops a pipe bomb outside the back door of The Spokesman-Review office at 13208 E. Sprague. The bomb detonates, shattering windows but causing no injuries.

Sheriff’s dispatchers alert deputies to look for a white man driving a maroon conversion van.

Robbery in progress. Eleven minutes later and 30 blocks west, two men in dark ski masks burst into the U.S. Bank at Sprague and Mullan, herding employees and customers into a corner and grabbing cash.

They then tell everyone to get out. Seconds later, a pipe bomb explodes inside the bank, shredding the lobby.

Again, there are no injuries.

“We have a live robbery at 9208 E. Sprague,” a dispatcher says over the radio.

APB broadcast. About 3:30 p.m., dispatchers broadcast a second description of the van - white with a maroon top - over the police radio and warn deputies not to approach it.

“There’s a reasonable chance it could be wired,” a dispatcher says.

Police arrive in force. For the next two hours, law enforcement officers from the Sheriff’s Department, city police, Washington State Patrol, FBI and federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms descend on both the bank and the newspaper building.

ATF agents wearing surgical gloves comb the inside of the bank, looking for clues, as Red Cross volunteers serve coffee in paper cups to the media and law enforcement officers outside.

Bank employees stand in the driveways, turning away customers.

Van reported stolen. At 4 p.m., dispatchers advise authorities that the van reported to be the getaway car was stolen over the weekend from a car lot in Ellensburg.

Getaway car found. About 15 minutes later, State Trooper Greg McNeilly is driving on Sprague Avenue when he spots the van outside the Valley Home Base store, five blocks east of the bank.

Authorities clear the parking lot.

Bomb disposal experts bring in a remote-controlled robot to peek inside the van for more explosives.

Home Base managers close their store 4-1/2 hours early.

Goldman holds conference. At 5 p.m., just in time for the top of the local newscasts, Spokane County Sheriff John Goldman outlines the two crimes.

“There’s still a lot to be done,” Goldman says.

Manhunt. Authorities continue searching for the suspects late into the night.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Staff writers Adam Lynn, Bruce Krasnow and Mike Prager contributed to this report.