Police sniper shoots man who says he has bomb at TV station

BALTIMORE – A police sniper shot a man who walked into a TV station lobby wearing a full animal costume and surgical mask and displaying what appeared to be an explosive device on his chest, authorities said Thursday.

The man was alive and conscious and communicating with authorities through a robot designed to detect explosives, said Baltimore Police Department spokesman T.J. Smith. He was later taken away by ambulance. The robot was seen on TV broadcasts rolling away from the man clutching a red vest with duct tape and wires.

The unidentified man walked into the lobby of a Fox television affiliate on Thursday and made a complaint about the government, Smith said. He then walked outside, followed by heavily armed officers. The sound of loud bangs could be heard on television broadcasts that later showed the man lying on the ground.

The suspect was shot after he refused repeated demands to show his hands, said Smith, who said he did not know how many times or where on his body the man had been hit.