Police kill man who injured hostage

Source: Xinhua  |   2008-6-20  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

POLICE in southwest China said yesterday they had shot dead a man who held a woman passenger hostage at knife point on a bus and asked for guns, ammunition and money.

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

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

Around 8pm, the suspect seemed to lose patience and became agitated. Police saw him injure the woman's neck with the knife and shot him at 8:42pm. Police rescued the hostage, said the spokesman.

The man was sent to hospital for treatment, but died despite doctors' efforts.