In a harrowing incident on Tuesday in Fort Myers, Florida, a convicted felon, allegedly armed with a bomb, held up a bank and took two hostages.
The situation was brought under control by a SWAT sniper when negotiations broke down and the suspect seemed poised to harm a female hostage.
The Lee County Sheriff's Office (LCSO) received a distress call around 11 a.m. about an ongoing robbery at the Bank of America in Bell Tower, where multiple hostages were reportedly held. "It was a chaotic scene," Sheriff Carmine Marceno described during a press briefing on Tuesday.
The suspect, identified as 36-year-old Sterling Ramon Alavache, reportedly stormed the bank brandishing a knife and claiming to possess a bomb. He then jumped over the counter, initiating the hostage situation. Alavache, a convicted felon, has a lengthy criminal record, including charges of drug trafficking, aggravated assault, and illegal possession of a concealed firearm in various states. Local news outlet WZVN-TV reported that Alavache had been arrested thrice before in Charlotte County alone.
In response to the crisis, the LCSO, with assistance from the FBI, employed a range of resources including a robotic dog, a SWAT team, electronic surveillance, and drones. "A group of deputies immediately went into that building ... and began to as people, dozens of people ran out they began to secure all other portions of the building while simultaneously hostage negotiations began with our suspect," Marceno explained.
Negotiations with Alavache were underway until he reportedly began to physically assault the hostages. "At one point during negotiations he became physical. He started to put one of the hostages in like a headlock and he had the knife to her throat. SWAT team was in place. When he presented deadly force like that, our SWAT sniper shot and killed the suspect. We were in fear for her life and safety," Marceno detailed.
Miraculously, both hostages and all deputies emerged from the ordeal unharmed. However, it remains unconfirmed whether Alavache indeed had an explosive device on him.
In a subsequent statement, the sheriff expressed his sorrow over the incident. "It's a sad day when innocent lives are placed in jeopardy due to the senseless acts of others," he said. "My family members were faced with a tough decision today to neutralize an active threat to the public, during a very volatile situation. Let this serve as a reminder of how important it is to remain vigilant."
In accordance with protocol, the LCSO confirmed to WZVN that the sniper who neutralized the threat at the bank has been placed on administrative leave.
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