Updates stories posted at 12:10 p.m. and 1:16 p.m.



SPRINGFIELD — Police continue to search for a man suspected of robbing two downtown banks Friday - threatening to bomb one of them with suspicious packages left at the scene.

The incident, which left the downtown roiling, began at 11:33 a.m. when the suspect approached the United Bank at 115 State St. with three suspicious packages. He left one of the packages outside the door and brought the others inside.

"The suspect told the teller to give him money or he would blow the bank up," Sgt. John Delaney said.

The suspect, who was given an undetermined amount of cash, fled down Main Street, Delaney, public information officer for the department, said.

The second robbery occurred when a suspect, believed to be the same man, entered the Bank of America branch at 1414 Main St. at about 12:08 p.m. He implied he had a weapon and fled again with an undetermined amount of cash, Delaney said.

The suspect fled down Boland Way toward the Connecticut River. A state police helicopter could be seen flying above the downtown and along the river banks.

Police closed Main and State streets, one of the busiest intersections in the city, for nearly three hours while they investigated the scene.

The city Arson and Bomb Squad was called in to assess the packages the bank robbery suspect left behind. Two of the packages were left inside the foyer of the bank while the third was left on the sidewalk by the front door.

Springfield firefighter Sean Walker, a member of the Arson and Bomb Squad, donned the protective suit into order to walk up next to each package with a portable X-ray device. When the analysis of the X-ray imagery was inconclusive, Walker used a device called a hand disruptor to render it harmless.

Dennis Leger, aide to Fire Commissioner Joseph Conant, said the devise shoots a highly pressurized blast of water to obliterate a potential bomb without a risk of detonation.

When they used the device on two of the packages, they found each contained 2½ common building bricks and no explosives.

Police reopened the intersection at about 2:20 p.m.

The suspect is described as a Hispanic male, in his late 30s or early 40s, 5 feet 5 inches tall wearing a hooded sweatshirt and khakis.

Captain Trent Duda and Lt. Thomas Kennedy from the Major Crimes Unit are in charge of the investigation.

The Republican's Patrick Johnson contributed reporting