10 Controversial Hostage Incidents Perpetrated by Lone Gunmen
We frequently hear about hostage situations committed by militant and terrorist groups who aim to direct attention towards the causes they are fighting for (or so they say). These incidents are so widely publicized that it is virtually impossible not to hear about them even if you intentionally avoid watching the news.
However, there have also been hostage incidents that managed to make just about the same amount of noise despite having been committed by lone criminals. Who are these people and what pushed them to resort to violence?
2010 Panama City School Board Shooting
Seemingly inspired by the movie V for Vendetta, 56-year-old Clay Duke held six men hostage during a school board meeting in Panama City, Florida. The ordeal began when he…show more content… Shortly after the couple’s exit, the police rushed inside the house while Palczynski was sleeping and shot him to death, ending the 10-day ordeal. (LINK 20)
Manila Hostage Crisis
On August 23, 2010, a bus filled with tourists stopped in Rizal Park in Manila, Philippines and stayed there for 11 hours. A disgruntled ex-cop named Rolando Mendoza decided to hold the tourists hostage to force authorities to reinstate him. Mendoza was dismissed from service in 2008 over an extortion case after being in the force for 31 years. (LINK 21)
During the siege, the authorities did more wrong than right. The police appeared to be unprepared and unequipped to tackle the situation. (LINK 22) To make it worse, members of the media meddled in the negotiations and were broadcasting everything the police officers did, keeping Mendoza updated on what was going on outside the bus. (LINK 23)
It was so poorly handled that it even became the subject of a National Geographic documentary and to this day remains a textbook example of how not to handle a hostage