East Ridge police are investigating a Wednesday afternoon bank robbery where a suspicious package was found outside the building forcing authorities to shut down Ringgold Road for more than an hour.

Officials said that officers were dispatched to the First Tennessee Bank at 1:36 p.m. on a bank robbery. When officers arrived they discovered a “suspicious package” outside the building left behind by the robbery suspect.

ERPD Chief J.R. Reed said, acting with an abundance of caution, he called in the Chattanooga Police Department’s Bomb Squad. Chief Reed said the suspicious package was neutralized by bomb squad technicians.

Chief Reed said his department is coordinating with the Federal Bureau of Investigation on the incident. At 3:45, investigators with the ERPD were dusting for fingerprints on the door of the bank, while officers combed the parking lot for trace evidence.

The unknown suspect is described as a black male wearing a brightly colored reflective vest, and he fled the scene on a small pink bicycle. The bicycle was recovered by police in a nearby area, but the suspect remains at large.

Anyone with any information pertaining to the identity or whereabouts of the suspect is urged to contact the East Ridge Police Department at 423.622.1725 or the Confidential Tipline at 423.867.0016.

Prior to the suspicious package being neutralized, fire trucks, police cars and ambulances blocked off Ringgold Road from the 5300 block to the 5500 block. Traffic was diverted to side streets for more than an hour causing chaos with commuters on the city’s heavily traveled main thoroughfare.