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A man strapped into a suspected bomb vest that turned out to be a hoax shut down part of a Salt Lake City neighborhood for hours on Thursday while police sent in robots to disarm and communicate with him.

The man — suspected of committing a bank robbery about 10 a.m. at a Zions Bank near 900 West and 2100 South — was found by police about one block away from the bank.

Chris Morley was at work at Water Movers, 1040 W. 2100 South, when he saw the man "scurrying" across the parking lot, wearing a motorcycle helmet and carrying something over his shoulder.

"He was on the move, but he wasn't at a full sprint," Morley said.

Police, after a struggle, put handcuffs on the man, said Salt Lake City police spokeswoman Robin Heiden.

But the officers then noticed wires coming out of what appeared to be an explosive vest — but was later found to be a "hoax device," Heiden said.

Officers backed away and called for bomb experts. The Hazardous Devices Unit guided two robots to the man to inspect the vest via attached cameras. Eventually the man began to use a microphone on one of the robots to speak with officers.

"He was not initially cooperative," Heiden said.

Tools on the robot's arm were used to maneuver the vest off of the subject, who had been lying on landscaping gravel near the road for at least two hours under warnings that moving would be considered a "deadly threat," Heiden said.

Three snipers lay prone on a nearby rooftop, rifles pointed at the man. After a robot tugged the vest free, it placed the vest on the ground about 20 feet away.

About 1 p.m. an armored "Bearcat" vehicle on loan from the Davis County Sheriff's Office took officers near the suspect. A bomb expert in a protective suit inspected the man before officers drove him away. He was to undergo a medical examination before being taken to a police station for identification and interviews, Heiden said.

A robot then deployed strong vibrations, causing a loud "boom," to disturb the vest and ensure its stability before it was inspected by a bomb squad, Heiden said. No explosives were found.

The man, 24, was booked into jail on suspicion of aggravated robbery, possessing a hoax weapon, and resisting arrest.

ealberty@sltrib.com