dan9999
11-18-2009, 01:09 PM
Fla. hostage-takers on loose in T.J. Maxx store
Police hunt armed gunmen who held 15 people for 4 hours, injuring one
Wed., Nov . 18, 2009
msnbc.com and NBC News
Police were searching for two gunmen at a T.J. Maxx in a Venice, Fla., shopping mall early Wednesday morning after they took a total of 15 people hostage, NBC News reported.
Wendy Rose, a spokeswoman for the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office, told NBC News that all hostages were accounted for and safe after a nearly four-hour ordeal that involved both employees and customers.
The T.J. Maxx was open when the hostage situation was first reported to authorities at 9:30 p.m. ET. Nine victims were able to quickly escape the incident, but a remaining six people depended on SWAT team members to lead them to safety, NBC reported.
A woman who was seen being pulled out of the store by a SWAT member was injured as she was shoved to the ground by the hostage-takers, but is expected to recover. Some of the hostages were tied up inside the store, according to police.
Dozens of onlookers and family members gathered in the shopping plaza. Victims whose family were nearby were reunited after police had a chance to conduct their initial debriefing, NBC reported.
A police car was stationed about 10 feet in front of the entrance to the store behind a pillar and officers had appeared to be talking to the gunmen, the HeraldTribune.com reported earlier.
SWAT team members, some wearing heavy body armor, were at the site, according to the Web site. They had not located the gunmen inside the stores as of 2 a.m.
Police hunt armed gunmen who held 15 people for 4 hours, injuring one
Wed., Nov . 18, 2009
msnbc.com and NBC News
Police were searching for two gunmen at a T.J. Maxx in a Venice, Fla., shopping mall early Wednesday morning after they took a total of 15 people hostage, NBC News reported.
Wendy Rose, a spokeswoman for the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office, told NBC News that all hostages were accounted for and safe after a nearly four-hour ordeal that involved both employees and customers.
The T.J. Maxx was open when the hostage situation was first reported to authorities at 9:30 p.m. ET. Nine victims were able to quickly escape the incident, but a remaining six people depended on SWAT team members to lead them to safety, NBC reported.
A woman who was seen being pulled out of the store by a SWAT member was injured as she was shoved to the ground by the hostage-takers, but is expected to recover. Some of the hostages were tied up inside the store, according to police.
Dozens of onlookers and family members gathered in the shopping plaza. Victims whose family were nearby were reunited after police had a chance to conduct their initial debriefing, NBC reported.
A police car was stationed about 10 feet in front of the entrance to the store behind a pillar and officers had appeared to be talking to the gunmen, the HeraldTribune.com reported earlier.
SWAT team members, some wearing heavy body armor, were at the site, according to the Web site. They had not located the gunmen inside the stores as of 2 a.m.