Standoff Ends Peacefully

Jun 22, 12:31 AM

Current Headlines: A standoff ended peacefully Thursday in Arcola, Ill., when a gunman in a bank released the last of five hostages and surrendered to police.

The incident began when an Illinois state trooper pulled a car over for tinted windows, The Chicago Tribune reported. After the trooper requested a drug-sniffing dog, the two men in the car drove off and eluded the trooper.

The men allegedly robbed two people in Camargo, Ill., and stole their van. Douglas County Chief Sheriff's Deputy Tom Martin spotted the van and pulled it over, and as he approached it, he was shot in the face and torso.

Martin, who was hospitalized in stable but critical condition, managed to use his radio to tell other officers which way the van was heading.

After a high-speed chase, the suspects lost control of the van in front of First Mid-Illinois Bank. Police arrested one suspect as the other one went into the bank and took five hostages.

He released the hostages during the afternoon, and an FBI negotiator eventually persuaded the gunman to come out, State Police Sgt. Bill Emery told the Tribune.

The suspect and his last hostage, bank manager Brad Pullen, 26, came out of the bank without incident. None of the hostages was hurt.