3-yr old boy rescued from hostage situation in Laoac
A three-year-old boy was rescued by law enforcers after being taken hostage by an elderly man with a knife along a street in Barangay Poblacion, Laoac on Tuesday morning, April 29.
According to Laoac Municipal Police Station Chief, P/Major Napoleon Election, the victim was walking with his mother around 8:15 a.m. near the Bureau of Fire Protection station in Poblacion en route to the public market when the suspect, 76-year-old Jaime Castro Arcalas, suddenly grabbed the child at knifepoint.
Authorities quickly activated their Crisis Management Team and arrived at the scene to negotiate with the suspect. However, Arcalas refused to cooperate, leading to a brief scuffle with police officers. The suspect was eventually subdued, and the child was rescued unharmed.
Both the suspect and the child were immediately brought to a hospital for medical assessment. The minor has since been turned over to the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office for post-trauma care.
The suspect was reportedly experiencing personal problems and carried out the hostage-taking in an attempt to provoke the police into shooting him, as a way to end his suffering. (Eva Visperas)
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