BOZEMAN, Mont. – A man is in custody and a major road in Bozeman is back open after police say he tried to rob a casino, then escaped on foot Saturday.
Police said the possibility of an explosive left behind prompted a widespread investigation.
Law enforcement was active at the scene throughout most of the morning and some of the afternoon, clearing up around 3 pm.
But Detective Sgt. Joe Swanson of the Bozeman Police Department does say this incident was a serious one.
“We’re playing everything safe,” Swanson says. “We don’t know what is inside.”
Bozeman police swarmed around the Magic Diamond Casino this morning after a call about a potential robbery — on top of that, a report of something possibly worse.
“It appeared that a robbery attempt had just been made by an individual,” Swanson says. “There was also some indication there might have been some type of device left inside of the building.”
Swanson says the suspect wasn’t there, but he may have left something behind.
“The suspect had fled the area. Right now, there’s no threat to the public. We do have a suspect in custody,” Swanson says. “Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Office responded at our request, basically their bomb squad, so they are working now inside the casino to determine what this device is.”
“I looked out my window,” says Kelly Moore, who came upon the scene early Saturday morning. “I live on Professional Drive. The traffic is backed up and I start to think, what’s going on?”
Moore lives and works nearby.
She says the sight out of her window was one not of her usual neighborhood.
“It’s my neighborhood,” Moore says. “I’ve lived here for a long time and I’m kind of surprised about this going on.”
Detective Swanson says all four lanes of Main Street had to be shut down for a reason.
He says while he cannot confirm the presence of a bomb, the bomb squad quickly made the situation safe.
“I know it is a huge inconvenience for everyone in town,” Swanson says. “Everyone’s been great. They’ve been paying attention to the signs and staying out of the way. I’m sure the impact is going to be felt greatly all over town and we are just doing this out of an over-abundance of caution.”
He does say a suspect is now in custody and this was an isolated situation.
Moore hopes it never happens again.
“Nobody wants this happening in their neighborhood, but it is my neighborhood and I have to protect it in any way that I can,” she says.
Detective Swanson says no one was hurt in the course of this investigation and that it is still ongoing.
The suspect should appear in court for his arraignment next week.
