Hostage-taking in Berlin supermarket: man holds cashier for eleven hours
A man threatened a cashier with a knife in a Berlin supermarket and held her hostage for approximately eleven hours. Police used a Taser and arrested the suspect.
Hostage-taking in Berlin supermarket: man holds cashier for eleven hours
Berlin police ended a lengthy hostage situation in a supermarket on Saturday morning at approximately 9.20 a.m. local time. According to Euronews, officers used a Taser against the alleged perpetrator and subsequently took him into custody.
The cashier, the victim of the incident, was held in the man's power for approximately eleven hours and twenty minutes.
According to eyewitnesses, the attacker entered the shop on Friday evening at around 10 p.m. There he threatened the woman with a knife and took her hostage.
According to the German news agency dpa, the supermarket was sealed off for hours during the operation. Special police tactical units (SEK) were deployed outside the building, and ambulances, fire service vehicles and numerous police cars were on standby. In the early morning hours, officers attempted to gain a view into the interior of the shop using a ladder.
During negotiations, police negotiators remained in constant contact with the hostage-taker. Whether the attacker and the woman knew each other beforehand remains unclear. The employees who were in the shop at the beginning of the incident were able to leave the building unharmed and were attended to by the emergency service.
An employee told the Bild newspaper that the perpetrator had stood at the till, refused to place his goods on the conveyor belt, and suddenly drew a knife. Police have not officially confirmed this account to date.
Source: Index.hu
Source: Index