Wentworth hostage drama ends with arrest after hours-long standoff
Police units were immediately deployed as the situation escalated into a hostage standoff.
Image: Leon Lestrade / Independent Media
A tense few hours of hostage drama at a block of flats in Wentworth, south of Durban, ended peacefully on Sunday morning with the arrest of a man believed to be in his 40s after his five-year-old daughter and her mother were rescued unharmed.
KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) police confirmed that the incident began shortly after 6am when the man allegedly snatched the child from a family member’s home where a party was taking place.
He then took her to another family member’s residence, where he is accused of holding both the child and her mother against their will.
KZN police spokesperson, Colonel Robert Netshiunda, said specialised police units were immediately deployed as the situation escalated into a hostage standoff.
“Police hostage negotiators, working with other specialised police units, managed to calm the suspect down, and both the child and the mother were rescued safely,” Netshiunda said.
Advanced Life Support (ALS) paramedics were placed on standby as police negotiators engaged the suspect for several hours.
ALS Paramedics spokesperson, Garrith Jamieson, said the man later attempted to leave the block of flats with the hostages, prompting swift police intervention.
According to Jamieson, SAPS negotiators had been negotiating with the gentleman since 6am.
“A short while ago, we saw him release a small child into the care of the negotiators, followed then by his partner,” Jamieson said.
No injuries were reported, and medical assistance was not required.
Jamieson confirmed that the roadway near the flats, which had been closed during the operation, was reopened shortly after the standoff ended, just before 11am.
Authorities have not yet disclosed what triggered the incident.
Police said the suspect was taken into custody, and an investigation is underway to determine the circumstances that led to the alleged hostage situation.
The man is expected to face charges related to kidnapping and hostage-taking as police continue their inquiries.
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