An as-yet unnamed man aged 28 took a two-member police patrol hostage near the town of Šaľa in Nitra region on Sunday evening, July 11, the TASR newswire was told by Nitra Regional Police Directorate spokesperson Renáta Čuháková on Monday. According to a newspaper report, the man holding the police officers was eventually shot dead by other officers.
The incident occurred when the police patrol attempted to stop and check the driver of a Škoda Felicia car. The driver did not stop, however, and the patrol set off in pursuit. When the car crashed into a pylon, two men jumped out and attempted to escape. The officers were able to catch one man, while the other darted into a nearby house.
As the officers approached him, he levelled an automatic rifle at them and forced them to get into the police car. He drove around Nitra region with his hostages the whole night, according to Sme daily. The kidnapper was eventually killed by a special squad near Nitriansky Hrádok on Monday morning.
The kidnapped police officers - one man and a woman - are well, the daily reported. The dead man was reportedly wanted for several crimes in Slovakia and had served a prison sentence for murder in the Czech Republic.
Source: TASR, Sme
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
