1.
SVs EXTERIOR: police surround bank in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
0.06

2.
GV: police cars and crowd near bank.
0.10

3.
SV: armed policeman standing outside bank.
0.11

4.
GV ZOOM INTO SV: hostages by side of car
0.14

5.
SV: newspaper man Serge Labrosse walks to car with a bag containing money.
0.21

6.
SV: man hostage being released and led away.
0.30

7.
SV: gunman leaving with three hostages.
0.38

8.
SV: woman kissing child in window.
0.42

9.
SV: gunman and hostages into car and car drives off.
0.51

10.
police cars arrive at bank.
0.54

11.
GV: street scene
1.00


REPORTER: "Police surrounded the bank with the lone gunman inside holding 15 people hostage. The streets were (indistinct) sharpshooters and crammed with spectators. Police first negotiated the release of a man, woman and child in exchange for a newspaperman, a crime reporter, with Le Journal de Montreal. About two hours later, the newspaperman brought out two plastic bags full of money. Then, more hostages were released, led by a woman overcome by emotion. The gunman finally emerged using other hostages as a cover. The bank robber made his getaway with three hostages in a car driven by the newspapers. All were later released; the gunman was eventually caught. This was the most spectacular robbery this year in Montreal, where banks were getting bumped off at the record rate of three a day.



Authorities say that if this continues there will be one robbery for every two bank branches in Quebec this year."




Initials RH/2307


TELERECORDING
REPORTER: DAVID BAZAY

Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: In Canada, a gunman was arrested soon after fleeing from a Montreal bank where he held a number of people hostage on Monday(24 October). He grabbed four of them-and as such money as he could carry-and escaped in a car provided after the intervention of a newspaper crime reporter. The robber brandished a rifle as he held up the bank. The reporter, Serge Labrosse, went into the bank to help negotiate the release of the hostages. He was one of the hostages taken in the car. From Montreal, David Bazay, of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reports.