Gunman took hostages in botched Santiago bank heist surrenders(Update)

Santiago.- One of the three gunmen who took hostages after a botched bank heist in Santiago has surrendered to police, local media report.

Manuel A. Paulino, prior to turning himself in, had demanded a bottle of whisky and TV cameras to record his surrender, but police officials rejected the request.

The other two assailants escaped by fleeing to a nearby golf course, while police continue the investigation.

FILE. A bank robbery by two gunmen in the branch of the Cibao S&L Association in the sector La Barranquita turned into a hostage crisis when the bank guard confronted the assailants, one of which fled to a nearby golf course with an unspecified amount of cash and the other barricaded himself in and retains an undetermined number of hostages.

One police agent and the bank guard have been injured but not seriously and local media report that the father of the “heavily armed” gunman inside the bank has arrived on the scene.

The gunman inside the bank has been identified as Manuel Alejandro Paulino, who allegedly suffers from psychological ailments.

More information as available.