A man accused of calling in a bomb threat to Pioneer High School to distract Ann Arbor police while he attempted to rob a bank will undergo a psychiatric evaluation.

Aaron Doyle, 23, was ordered to undergo a mental competency exam at the Center for Forensic Psychiatry in York Township before further court proceedings, court records show.

The Ypsilanti Township resident is charged with attempted bank robbery, attempted armed robbery, attempted unarmed robbery and making a false bomb threat. He remains in custody pending a competency hearing on Aug. 25.

Police said he called 911 at about 10:30 a.m. on May 20 and claimed a bomb was going to go off inside the high school. Police traced the call to a pay phone at an Ann Arbor gas station, but the caller was gone when police arrived.

Officer Dan Iverson reviewed security camera footage from the station at the time of the call and identified a possible suspect and vehicle. As he headed to the school to assist, Iverson noticed the vehicle driving in the other direction and stopped it.

“He was a one-man show that day, from identifying the suspect to making the arrest,” Detective Michael Lencioni said. “He did a phenomenal job.”

Iverson questioned the man and determined the threat was a hoax. No evacuation of the school was necessary, and no suspicious devices were found in the building, police said.

Doyle reportedly made incriminating statements about the bomb threat, and investigators found several items in the vehicle that could be used for a bank robbery, including a disguise, reports said.

It wasn't clear which bank he was targeting, but investigators believe Doyle intended to drive by the school and confirm police were tied up at the scene when Iverson spotted him, investigators said.

Chief Deputy Assistant Prosecutor Steve Hiller declined to discuss specifics about Doyle’s case. But he said in general, Michigan law recognizes that once someone begins a series of events to commit a crime, it’s as if that crime itself is under way.

“Once you start the ball rolling, the crime is under way,” he said. “Hypothetically, the fact that someone’s caught in the middle of it doesn’t mean they’re not doing it.”

Art Aisner is a freelance writer for AnnArbor.com. Reach the news desk at news@annarbor.com or 734-623-2530.