In a horrific, pre-Christmas event, an armed man took five people hostage at a rural post office in Virgina. So far, while shots were fired, there have been no reports of injuries.
Police have cordoned off at three block area, with Virgina State Police sending in a SWAT team and a bomb technician. The post office is in the small town of Wytheville, which is the county seat of Wythe County. It is in southwest Virginia and has fewer than 8,500 people.
According to the local paper, the Wytheville Enterprise, the man was wheelchair-bound, and had five pounds of the plastic explosive C4 strapped to his wheelchair. Corinne Geller, a spokeswoman for the Virginia State Police said "We've got quite a few folks on the scene. The individual is still in the office." The five hostages include three employees and two customers.
A fortunate customer who left the post office as the gunman entered noted that the gunman was in a wheelchair. He had driven up in a red truck with Marine Corps stickers. Additionally, a sheriff’s office employee confirmed that there were grenades on the man’s truck.
Local and state police have been joined by the FBI. They have turned Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, which is within viewing distance of the post office, into a command center. Businesses and homes in a three-block radius of the post office have been evacuated, as authorities devise a plan of action.
Written by Michael Santo
HULIQ.com
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