Suspect in custody after man armed with machete takes hostages at Tennessee bank

ByJULIA JACOBO ABCNews logo
Saturday, September 23, 2017

A suspect armed with a machete was taken into custody late Friday after he took nine people hostage at a Tennessee bank earlier in the day.

According to ABC affiliate WKRN, the man was tackled by police after he emerged from the bank. Police had yet to confirm the man was taken into custody early Saturday.

All of the hostages had been released Friday afternoon prior to the man be taken into custody, according to police.

The 54-year-old man initially took nine people hostage at the Community First Bank & Trust in Columbia, Tennessee before releasing four people, a spokesperson for the Columbia Police Department said. Hours later, the remaining five hostages were released, said Columbia Police Capt. Jeremy Alsup.

None of the hostages were injured during the ordeal, Alsup said.

Emergency dispatchers responded to a call for an armed robbery in progress, police said, though officials later clarified that the hostage situation "does not appear to be a robbery at this time."

The motive is unknown, Alsup said.

Further details on the incident were not immediately available.

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