A six-foot-tall polar bear positioned near the intersection of 14th and Irving streets closed the Columbia Heights Metrorail station for an hour and forty-five minutes Tuesday morning. No one seems to know what, exactly, the bear's purpose was.

Passersby first spotted the bear, dressed in men's clothing and perched over a trash can, about 8 a.m.

"The cleaner showed up at 7, it wasn't here. At 8 o'clock, someone else showed up and it was here," said Lane Pennington, who manages a local construction project. "We walked by, I thought it was a homeless guy standing at the trash can."

About 10 a.m., it was reported to police, who cordoned off and evacuated the area, including businesses and apartments.

"Obviously that hurt business for the day, but you have to take necessary precautions and make sure everyone is safe in the area," said the manager of a local sandwich shop.

The purpose of the bear was unclear. Police believe it was part of an ongoing Greenpeace protest about global warming -- hence the polar bear. The offbeat Web site DCist.com speculated it could be connected to a guerilla artist known for placing unusual pieces in urban environments. ABC 7/NewsChannel 8 tried to contact the artist, Mark Jenkins, but received no reply.

Bewilderment and amusement seemed to win out over fear for most who encountered the bear.

"One of the guys went and shook its hands, then the police all showed up, told us to back up and then every cop in D.C. showed up," one man told ABC 7/NewsChannel 8 reporter Jennifer Donelan.

A bomb technicians checked out the bear, determining it was harmless. The bear, which was stuffed with various newspapers, was then shredded.

Investigators say they take all suspicious package calls seriously.

"It's not an inconvenience when we are talking about citizens' lives that could be jeopardized if it did turn out to be an explosive device," said Insp. Edward Delgado, head of Metropolitan Police's 3rd police district. 

The Department of Public Works employee who had to clean up the mess was glad they did.

"I am the one who has to clean it up, but I just wanted to make sure it was safe before I started."

Police say they don't know whether a crime took place. Investigators say that depends on whether the bear's creator intended to see the station shut down.

Metro trains continued to run through the station while the entrances were closed. The transit system employed shuttle buses to move passengers between the Georgia Avenue and the U Street/African-American Civil War Memorial/Cardozo stations.