Police kill hostage taker on bus

Source: Xinhua  |   2008-6-19  |     ONLINE EDITION

POLICE in southwest China said early today they had shot dead a man who held a woman hostage at knifepoint on a bus.

A man with a 30-centimeter knife grabbed the woman seated in front of him on the No. 20 bus in Guiyang City, capital of Guizhou Province, around 6:20pm yesterday, the city police said at a news briefing early today.

The driver and passengers quickly alerted police, who tried and failed to persuade the man to let the woman go free. The man demanded two guns, 500 bullets and one million yuan (US$145,000), said a police spokesman.

At about 8pm, the suspect became agitated. Police saw him injure the woman's neck with the knife. Officers shot the man at 8:42pm and rescued the hostage, said the spokesman.

The man was sent to hospital for emergency treatment, but died despite doctors' efforts. The woman was also sent to a hospital for observation.

The identity of the man remains unknown. Police are still investigating the incident.