Luneta Philippines Hostage Taking Drama
A group of Hongkong tourists were held hostage by a former police captain. It's finally over with a sniper killing the hostage taker.
The hostage taking was done early in the morning and ended at around 9:00 in the evening with a head shot coming from a police sniper. Hostage negotiators tried to convince the former police captain to surrender. The latter agreed to free some of the hostages but still refused to give terms for the release of the other hostages. At around 7:00pm, gun shots where heard inside the bus. This gave the bus driver who was sitting in front to jump outside the window and ran towards the police. He said that there were dead hostages at the back part of the bus.
At around 8:00 in the evening, a bursting rapid fire coming from a machine gun was shot inside the bus towards the policemen. A young civilian who was watching the hostage taking drama was grazed with a bullet but was declared out of danger. At around 9:00, a police sniper got a chance to fire the kill shot when the hostage taker was looking out of the window.
After the hostage taker was killed, the medical team came in to assist on the victims. Many of the 16 hostages died including a young boy. Hundreds of bystanders and onlookers suddenly rushed to the crime scene which made the job of the medical team harder.
Here is the latest news from prokerala.com:
Violence erupts in Philippine hostage-taking
Manila, Aug 23
http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a161406.htmlA sacked police officer who seized a tourist bus in the Philippines said Monday he shot two Chinese hostages in the nearly 10-hour standoff.
Dismissed police officer Rolando Del Rosario Mendoza fired several gunshots inside and outside the stationary bus in a seaside park in Manila.
"I just shot two hostages," Mendoza told DZXL radio station as screams and crying were heard before the line was cut off.
The bus driver, a Filipino identified only as Alberto, escaped during Mendozas outburst.
Heavily armed police officers launched an assault on the bus immediately after the gunshots and Mendozas claim that he shot two of the remaining hostages.
Mendoza seized the bus nearly 10 hours earlier and demanded that authorities review his dismissal from the force in February 2009 due to extortion and harassment.
He has denied any wrongdoing and filed an appeal.
There were 25 people inside the bus when it was seized, including 20 Chinese tourists and a travel guide from Hong Kong and four Filipinos.
Six Chinese tourists, including three children, and three Filipinos were subsequently freed unharmed as "gifts" to negotiators, said Manila city vice mayor Isko Moreno.
"He released a couple of the hostages as a goodwill gesture to the negotiations," he said.
Police said 15 Chinese nationals and one Filipino were still being held hostage by Mendoza.
Before Mendoza opened fire, a 44-year-old Chinese woman told DZXL that she and her 15-year-old daughter were among the hostages.
"We are okay but we are afraid," she said.
Alberto also told the radio station that he and the Chinese nationals were okay but tired. He added that they were all just sitting down.
"I hope they give in to the demand of police officer Mendoza so this will end," he said. "To my family, dont worry about me. I am just okay here."
