A police sniper shot and killed a suspected bank robber who was holding two people hostage at a crowded branch in Florida on Tuesday.
Lee County Sheriff's Office Sterling Ramon Aravash, 36, held a knife to the throat of a female hostage at a Bank of America branch in a shopping center on Route 41 south of Fort Myers. A sniper from the SWAT team opened fire.The office said:.
Deputies responded to the call just after 11 a.m. and entered the building to begin negotiations as customers and employees fled outside, the sheriff's office said. NBC News affiliate WBBH aired video of the moment a deputy engaged in a tense negotiation with the suspect in the bank's lobby.
“We immediately came face to face with a male suspect who was armed with a knife and claimed to have a bomb. At this point he had two hostages and we continually attempted to negotiate with him. ” Sheriff Carmine Marceno said at a news conference outside the bank Tuesday.
“At one point during the negotiations, he became violent. He put one of the hostages in a headlock and held a knife to her throat,” he said.
“When he displayed such deadly force, our SWAT team shot and killed the suspect. We feared for her life and safety. I have provided as many details as I can. Let me tell you, this is a refreshing sight.”
Marceno said the sheriff's office used a remote-controlled surveillance device called RoboDog and a drone to monitor the suspect's movements.
Marceno added: “We are proud that the two hostages were safe.”
The SWAT officer who fired the fatal shot has been placed on administrative leave pending further investigation, which Marceno said is standard procedure in incidents involving fatalities.
“I could not be more proud of our law enforcement officers today,” he said.
In a separate statement posted on Facebook, Marceno said the team was “faced with the difficult decision of neutralizing an active threat to our people today in a highly volatile situation.”
“I am very grateful that no one, neither the victim nor my team, was injured today,” he said.
The suspect is a known felon with convictions in multiple states and has an extensive criminal history, including drug trafficking, aggravated assault and carrying a concealed firearm, according to the sheriff's office.
“It wasn't until the police came and started banging on the door that I realized this was much more serious than just someone coming in and threatening to rob a bank,” Brett Sands, who works in the same building, told WBBH. .
