Guangdong gunman arrested after 19-hour hostage-suicide drama
'Debt-strapped' man held kidnapped his alleged lenders before attempting to kill himself
A kidnapping suspect in Zhongshan city has been sent to hospital after an unsuccessful suicide attempt towards the end of a 19-hour-long stand-off with police, according to local police in Guangdong.
The suspect, surnamed Luo, went postal around 4.51 pm on Monday after engaging in a dispute with three men who demanded he pay back the money he allegedly owed them.
He then produced a self-made gun and held them hostage at a private residence, police said on their official Weibo account.
Luo eventually released two hostages and asked them to transfer 500,000 yuan (HK$627,000) to his bank account. The two men went straight to the police instead.
Hours into the ordeal, the third victim, a 44-year-old surnamed Chen, from Shantou, was able to escape when Luo showed signs of weariness. Chen was rescued by officers on Tuesday afternoon.
Chen sustained minor injuries including fractures to his foot and spine, according to police and reports.
Noticing that the last of his captives had escaped, the abductor attempted to kill himself – but police officers broke into the house and overpowered him before he could do himself harm.
Luo, the kidnapper, had injuries to his head, right hand and leg. He was escorted by police to a hospital, along with Chen.
Police did not fire any gunshots throughout the stand-off but threw stun grenades to temporarily confuse the suspect.
Earlier reports mistakenly claimed Luo held the three hostage in a primary school where he worked, which was closed for the summer holidays. Luo is a shareholder of Sihai Primary School.
It was as yet unclear whose home Luo dragged his captives to.
The case is still under investigation.
