Manila Police Ceases the Bus Hostage Taking Case in Just 30 Minutes

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The busy streets along Taft roused to fear and alarm when a man still unnamed took a bus, an Alabang-bound HM transpost unit, as a captive and dragged one of its passengers as a hostage. The hostage taking happened between the streets of Padre Faura and Pedro Gil on Thursday afternoon. Providentially, the Manila Police District had quickly resolved the terrible scenario.

According to the reports of Inquirer.net, having Supt. Albert Barot’s account, the chief of the Manila Police District Station 5 (Ermita) as one of the news sources, the police officers saw that there’s a threat on the life of the victim because the hostage taker keeps on pressing his weapon on the victim’s neck, and pressing it harder as minutes pass by. Due to this critical situation, they decided to perform the final option which is to shoot the hostage taker despite the odds of failing and hurting the others within the vehicle.

“We acted fast because the threat to the victim’s life was already there. The first responder already talked to the hostage-taker asking him to surrender. But while they were talking, he was pressing his knife harder,” Supt. Albert Barot said.

The police fired more than a few shots from the either sides of the bus, but according to reports the kill shot came from the left side window of the bus at the driver’s side. The hostage taker had bore two gun shots in the body. The victim who was identified as a female student suffered some minor injuries due to the pressure forced on her neck. Passengers claimed that the hostage taker used a ballpoint pen as a weapon. The villain and the victim were immediately rushed to the Philippine General Hospital while the intentions of the hostage taker are still unknown. 

It is said that the fast and strategic action of the police was due to the lessons that they have learned in the past hostage taking that ended up tragically, happened at the Quirino Grandstand five years ago.

“We’ve learned our lesson. Because of that experience, our police knew that if there’s an opportunity to save the victim, the life of that victim is what’s important.  As much as possible, you have to save lives,” said Manila Vice Mayor Isko Moreno who was present during the police action.

Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada also sent his congratulatory message for the successful police operation. 

“We have to congratulate our policemen. In less than an hour, it was solved. The victim is safe, and the hostage-taker is dead. We have to congratulate our policemen for doing a good job,” said Estrada.

 
source: inquirer