Random True Story Of A Pizza Delivery Guy, A Bomb Collar, And A Bank Robbery (14 items)

(#12) There Might Be A Movie About The CBH In The Works

In 2012, five producers purchased the rights from authors Jerry Clark and Ed Palattellato - who released numerous books related to the events - to make a full-length movie about the CBH case, according to Movie Insider. Although this feature is still listed as "in development" on IMDB, the working title is The Collar Bomb. No director or writers are listed, and as of 2019, no one has been cast.

The producers have also optioned the rights for Wired's 2010 article of the events, written by Rich Schapiro.
(#9) The Plan Was Changed At The Last Minute

The day before the PNC Bank holdup, Wells and the accomplices discussed the original plan with a fake explosive strapped around Wells's neck, in order to get the bank employees' attention and hopefully net them more money. Rothstein was to follow Wells to the bank and intercept the money from him after exiting. The idea here was to have Wells empty-handed if the police should pull him over in his getaway vehicle.

Sometime after this, the device became real, and a system of instructions for Wells to follow was put into place.
(#3) He Carried A Wooden Cane That Had Been Turned Into A Single Barrel Shotgun

When the police searched Wells's car, they found a wooden cane that had been turned into a shotgun. Reportedly, this was given to him by his co-conspirators, just in case things went south when he was in the bank. Wells carried the homemade single barrel with him while holding up the bank.

He handed a note to the teller, demanding $250,000, but the teller told him they didn't have access to that amount. Wells ended up walking out with under $9,000.
(#2) He Worked As A Pizza Deliveryman For Nearly 30 Years

After dropping out of high school, Wells spent much of his adult life delivering pizzas. In fact, he did it for nearly 30 years. He had been working for Mama Mia Pizza-Ria for the last 10 years in Erie, PA, prior to the incident. His co-workers and bosses described him as a reliable, hardworking employee, which made what came next even more baffling.

Around 1:30 PM on August 28, 2003, he delivered an order to a phony address that turned out to be a TV transmission tower. There, the device was placed around his neck and he received his instructions. Later on, police went to the address and combed the scene, finding Wells's footprints and the tire tracks from his car, but little else.
(#8) Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong And Kenneth Barnes Watched The Holdup Go Down

As it turns out, both Diehl-Armstrong and Barnes, from the same car, watched with binoculars as Wells entered the bank. William Rothstein was there as well, having followed Wells in his own vehicle. They then retreated to Rothstein's house, where they all got inside of Rothstein's car.

On the way to their undisclosed destination, Diehl-Armstrong made them stop by the side of the I-79 so that she could pick up something that she had left in a wooded area. She tossed this unknown item into the backseat of the car.
(#1) Brian Wells Was In On It, Until The Device Was No Longer Fake

Wells helped plan the holdup and was by all accounts a willing participant until he was told that the device was real - not fake, as he'd been led to believe that it would be. They gave him a cover story to tell the police, instructing him to say that he was a hostage and that three Black men forced the collar on him. The people who strapped the device on him believed the police would think Wells was an innocent victim and that Wells would conceal the identities of his real accomplices.

However, none of this worked out as planned. As soon as Wells learned the device was real, he tried to back out. His accomplices held him at gunpoint, even firing a shot in the air as a warning to Wells, before securing the device around his neck and sealing his fate.