No Explosives Found After Attempted Robbery

A would-be robber who went into a bank Monday and told an employee he was wired with explosives and carrying a bomb ran off during the building evacuation without getting any money, police said.

The man went into the Ballard branch of Key Bank about 4 p.m. He spoke to an employee and had a note saying he was there to rob the bank and was wired with explosives and carrying explosives in his briefcase, police spokeswoman Carmen Best said.

While the bank was being evacuated, the man fled, leaving the briefcase in the bank’s lobby.

The department’s bomb squad was called to the scene but found nothing in the briefcase, Best said.

The streets surrounding the bank in Ballard’s retail area were closed off for about 90 minutes, she said.