A middle-aged man armed with a knife took a hostage on the Wangfujing pedestrian street in Beijing last night, reports China News. The incident occurred at 9:22pm near the newly developed Dong’an Mall, right near the Wangfujing police sub-station. Eyewitnesses say young woman was taken hostage in an alcove just outside a GAP store.
Armed police cordoned off the area and police were seen aiming rifles at the suspect.
While police were negotiating with the suspect, officers moved in to subdue him with an elbow to the throat. The hostage was finally freed at 9:57 pm, not 35 minutes after the incident first began. She was unharmed, and apparently did not know the man who took her hostage.
The suspect is surnamed Tan, is 38 years-old, and from Liuzhou in Guangxi Province. No motive for the hostage taken has been given.
Wangfujing is one of 14 “anti-terrorism locations” in Beijing that are mandated to have a police response to emergencies within one minute.
Crowds of onlookers thronged the area craning for a better view:
This is a photo of Tan during the subsequent police interrogation:
Photos: Shenzhen Evening Report, Weibo (2)
