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A man was shot and killed by a sniper after he took people hostage at a Florida Bank of America on Tuesday, February 6, 2024. According to Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno, they responded to a bank robbery in the Fort Myers area around 11:00 a.m., as reported by NBC.
Deputies along with the FBI immediately arrived on the scene as dozens fled from the Bank of America building. Law enforcement officers secured the scene and began negotiating with the suspect who took two hostages, threatening them at knife point. The man even stated he had a bomb.
"At one point during negotiations, he became physical. He started to put one of the hostages in, like, a headlock, and he had the knife to her throat," added Marceno.
As soon as the suspect, whose identity was later revealed as Sterling Ramon Alavanche, threatened the life of a hostage, a sniper fatally shot him. Both the hostages were unharmed.
The whole incident incident was resolved in less than an hour and netizens were quick to call it anticlimactic.
"That took 20 mins... Dang": Internet users react to Bank of America hostage situation in Florida
As news of the Bank of America robbery went viral, netizens were quick to share sarcastic quips and humorous memes. While some called it "real life GTA," others took a jab at the "Florida man" meme. The meme refers to the alleged prevalence of people from Florida performing irrational and strange actions.
Here are some comments seen under an X post by @rawalerts about the robbery:
More about the Bank of America hostage situation
According to the Lee County Sheriff's Office, they deployed a robodog, the SWAT team, electronic surveillance, and drones at the Bank of America building. While no injuries were reported to hostages or officers on the scene, the deputy who shot Alavache was put on administrative leave, pending an investigation, as per department policy.
In a press conference, the suspect was identified as 36-year-old Sterling Ramon Alavache. According to NBC, he has a lengthy criminal background and has been arrested and jailed in the past.
There has been no official confirmation if there was an actual bomb.
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