Bank Robbery Ends With Shootout At Airport
6 Hostages Escape Unharmed
POSTED: 9:44 am CDT May 18,
2005
An attempted bank robbery in Olathe ended in a shootout at Johnson County Executive Airport Wednesday morning.
Officers were called to the Capitol Federal Savings bank at 151st Street and Mur-Len at about 9 a.m. on a bank robbery.
See Images From The Scene
Officials said 11 people were inside the bank during the robbery -- 10 workers and one customer.
FBI Spokesman Jeff Lanza said the suspect -- a 44-year-old man from Wichita -- took six of the bank employees as hostages and stuffed them into a gray minivan belonging to one of the workers.
"As he was chaining everybody together, he asked whose van that was and I said that it was mine. He asked for my keys and told me to give them to one of my coworkers and then he led them outside," Monica Carter told ABC's "Good Morning America."
Police said some hostages were forced to strip down to their underwear. One of the hostages, a woman, was forced to drive the van.
"After they got in the van, they actually threw out a seat, I guess to get more people in, and proceeded north out of the parking lot. There was an armored vehicle that came through to try and block them from getting out and there was a shot fired. I don't know who fired the shot," witness Matt Braswell said.
"It was terrifying to watch it happen, like, it wasn't even real," Hiser said.
"When they came down by me, there was a lady driving, which I assume was one of the bank people. They were probably doing 55 mph or 60 mph and then all the cops came flying down behind them," witness Robin Rogers said.
Police pursued the van to a taxiway at the airport. Shots were fired near a small plane that was apparently trying to take off. Officials said the bank robbery suspect had a pilot's license and was trying to commandeer the plane.
Sgt. Mike Butaud said the suspect was wounded. He was taken by air ambulance to a hospital. He was listed in critical condition Wednesday evening, officials said.
"There was a guy right next to the cabin door with a hood on and a gun, holding a hostage. At that point, I heard the police yelling, 'Drop your weapon!' And I heard shots fired, and at that point, I ducked underneath the instrument panel. I heard another police officer yell, 'Get out! Get out!' ... So I exited the aircraft rather rapidly and dove for the pavement, because I wasn't sure who was doing the shooting, whether it was the cops or the guy that I'd seen next to the cabin. I really thought he was going to try and take the airplane, when I saw the hood and the gun, I knew (we) were in some trouble," Miller told KMBC's Maria Antonia.
Investigators questioned Miller for several hours to make sure he wasn't involved.
Miller said he and his student wanted to thank the officers for saving their lives.
None of the hostages was hurt. FBI spokesman Jeff Lanza told KMBC that agents interviewed the hostages for several hours, then they were released.
A husband of one the hostages told KMBC his family was relieved to have his wife home. He said she was traumatized by the incident.
Lanza said this was an unusual situation for officers because it's rare that a suspect takes hostages with them while attempting to flee.
"As a negotiator, we can't control what the suspect will do. So, yes, there are always contingency plans. Negotiations work in tandem with tactical teams," said Brad Martens, a hostage negotiator with Lenexa Police.
Hours after the robbery, police remained at the bank. A robot was used to inspect a bag that was left in the parking lot, and several officers entered the bank to make sure that no one else was still inside the building. They cleared the scene shortly after 1 p.m.
Charges are expected to be filed Thursday, officials said.
KAKE said Herring has no prior record in Wichita. Also, Johnson County officials said they didn't have a record of the suspect.
Police said the suspect's vehicle had been located at an Olathe golf course, which is more than two miles from Capitol Federal Savings bank.
Investigators were looking into whether anyone else may have been involved in the bank robbery.
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Pilot Talks About Hijacking AttemptOfficers were called to the Capitol Federal Savings bank at 151st Street and Mur-Len at about 9 a.m. on a bank robbery.
See Images From The Scene Officials said 11 people were inside the bank during the robbery -- 10 workers and one customer.
FBI Spokesman Jeff Lanza said the suspect -- a 44-year-old man from Wichita -- took six of the bank employees as hostages and stuffed them into a gray minivan belonging to one of the workers.
"As he was chaining everybody together, he asked whose van that was and I said that it was mine. He asked for my keys and told me to give them to one of my coworkers and then he led them outside," Monica Carter told ABC's "Good Morning America."
Police said some hostages were forced to strip down to their underwear. One of the hostages, a woman, was forced to drive the van.
'Terrifying To Watch'
"It just all unfolded real quickly. When we pulled up, the bank and the roads and the entrances were blocked off. It was a matter of 20 minutes to 30 minutes later, some bank employees or customers were paraded out, chained together, arms bound behind their backs with a masked gunman who loaded them into a minivan," witness Rick Hiser said.
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"After they got in the van, they actually threw out a seat, I guess to get more people in, and proceeded north out of the parking lot. There was an armored vehicle that came through to try and block them from getting out and there was a shot fired. I don't know who fired the shot," witness Matt Braswell said.
"It was terrifying to watch it happen, like, it wasn't even real," Hiser said.
"When they came down by me, there was a lady driving, which I assume was one of the bank people. They were probably doing 55 mph or 60 mph and then all the cops came flying down behind them," witness Robin Rogers said.
Police pursued the van to a taxiway at the airport. Shots were fired near a small plane that was apparently trying to take off. Officials said the bank robbery suspect had a pilot's license and was trying to commandeer the plane.
Sgt. Mike Butaud said the suspect was wounded. He was taken by air ambulance to a hospital. He was listed in critical condition Wednesday evening, officials said.
Pilot's Story
Flight instructor Matt Miller was in the airplane the robbery suspect attempted to hijack. Miller and a student pilot were going through a checklist before takeoff when the suspect appeared.
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"There was a guy right next to the cabin door with a hood on and a gun, holding a hostage. At that point, I heard the police yelling, 'Drop your weapon!' And I heard shots fired, and at that point, I ducked underneath the instrument panel. I heard another police officer yell, 'Get out! Get out!' ... So I exited the aircraft rather rapidly and dove for the pavement, because I wasn't sure who was doing the shooting, whether it was the cops or the guy that I'd seen next to the cabin. I really thought he was going to try and take the airplane, when I saw the hood and the gun, I knew (we) were in some trouble," Miller told KMBC's Maria Antonia.
Investigators questioned Miller for several hours to make sure he wasn't involved.
Miller said he and his student wanted to thank the officers for saving their lives.
None of the hostages was hurt. FBI spokesman Jeff Lanza told KMBC that agents interviewed the hostages for several hours, then they were released.
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A husband of one the hostages told KMBC his family was relieved to have his wife home. He said she was traumatized by the incident.
Lanza said this was an unusual situation for officers because it's rare that a suspect takes hostages with them while attempting to flee.
"As a negotiator, we can't control what the suspect will do. So, yes, there are always contingency plans. Negotiations work in tandem with tactical teams," said Brad Martens, a hostage negotiator with Lenexa Police.
Hours after the robbery, police remained at the bank. A robot was used to inspect a bag that was left in the parking lot, and several officers entered the bank to make sure that no one else was still inside the building. They cleared the scene shortly after 1 p.m.
'Yeah, He Did It'
Wichita television station KAKE reported the suspect's name is Bennie J. Herring Jr. A reporter went to Herring's home, where a man who said he is the suspect's brother said, "Yeah, he did it, get off my property."Charges are expected to be filed Thursday, officials said.
KAKE said Herring has no prior record in Wichita. Also, Johnson County officials said they didn't have a record of the suspect.
Police said the suspect's vehicle had been located at an Olathe golf course, which is more than two miles from Capitol Federal Savings bank.
Investigators were looking into whether anyone else may have been involved in the bank robbery.
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