EL MONTE, Calif., Dec. 23, 2008
LA Man Who Held Boy Hostage Is Killed
6-Year-Old, Held In Chinese Restaurant, Is In Critical But Stable Condition After Standoff
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Paramedics carry out an unidentified boy on a stretcher after being rescued from a Chinese restaurant where an armed man had been holding him hostage in El Monte, Calif., Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2008. The hostage taker took the boy from the sidewalk around 3:20 p.m. The man was killed in a standoff with police and the boy was listed in critical but stable condition at a local hospital. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
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Sheriff's officials say the man was declared dead Tuesday night at the El Monte restaurant following gunshots. The 6-year-old boy was hit in the leg and transported to a hospital in critical but stable condition.
It was not clear who fired the shots.
Detective Ralph Batres says the man, whose name has not been released, grabbed the boy off a sidewalk with a handgun and took him into a back room of a Chinese restaurant.
Authorities negotiated with the man for about two hours before a flash-bang grenade exploded and gunshots fired inside the building. Those grenades are often used by SWAT teams to stun hostage takers given them enough time to subdue the kidnapper and free the captive without anyone being hurt, CBS Station KCBS in Los Angeles reports.
Police say the man was in his 30s and had been holding a young boy at gunpoint at the Tai Pan Chinese Food Restaurant, Witness said the suspect was wearing an Army-style jacket and blue jeans. The man's relationship, if any, to the boy was unknown, KCBS reports.
The man allegedly grabbed the boy from the street around 3:20 Tuesday afternoon.
Police on the scene told reporters that there were police, but no patrons, inside the restaurant, KCBS reports.
Nearby businesses were evacuated and streets were closed to traffic for more than three hours.
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- A fitting end to that scumbags life! Sorry the boy was injured........Here''s hoping the police left some steamed dumplings for take out orders today!
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- Anyone who would harm a child deserves a swift and merciless execution. I hope the kid will be ok.
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- give the LEOs who shot the criminal mutant a medal. stop arresting these mutants, just shoot them on sight when it is known, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that they have committed the crime. mainstream society needs to combat these criminal mutants and eradicate them completely.
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- The police are in big trouble. The guy was gay.
Posted by BRdeckard at 04:02 AM : Dec 24, 2008 ********************** That''s right. The G*a*y Liberation will have suits filed today for defemination of character and other hate crimes. You just can''t go around killing g*a*y*s for breaking laws without due process. It wouldn''t be "civilized". - Reply to this comment
- I Agree! Great work by the police in taking down this poor excuse for a human being. So too shall anyone who dare kidnap a child suffer the same fate - DEATH at the hands of the law!
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- This is some good news! My prayers are with the boy for full recovery. Someday he''ll have a humdinger of a story to tell his children and grandchildren!
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- that is the least that could happen to some one capable of taking a 6 year old hostage. Scumbag is well killed!
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Ex-NBA ref Tim Donaghy 
