Last Hostage Freed Unhurt; Police Arrest Two Gunmen

A 26-hour hostage ordeal that began when armed thieves stormed a house in an apparent “home invasion” robbery concluded peacefully early Friday when two suspects freed their final prisoner and surrendered to police, authorities said.

The final hostage, Nari Chhin, 21, of San Bernardino, was unharmed, police said. The two gunmen were arrested without incident about 3:15 a.m. outside the home where the drama unfolded.

Taken into custody were Monkhoun Ratsakhy, 20, of Banning, and a 15-year-old from Riverside. Both were to be charged with attempted murder of a police officer, kidnaping and residential robbery, police said.

Earlier, the assailants had released five children, including four children of Chhin, ages 1 to 5, and a 12-year-old cousin. None were injured.

Authorities described the incident as a robbery that unraveled when police arrived as the suspects were attempting to rob a second home in a working-class neighborhood here that is home to many Southeast Asian immigrants.

Marathon telephone discussions between police hostage negotiators and the two gunmen took place as the the grounds of a nearby elementary school were transformed into a police command post and media center.

“As long as we continued negotiating, we were willing to just wait them out,” said San Bernardino Police Capt. Mike Lewis, who acted as the commander at the scene.

About 100 officers from various jurisdictions were standing by, some of them snipers and SWAT team members armed with automatic weapons.

Although police, responding to the hostage-takers’ demands, had earlier provided a getaway car, authorities had no intention of allowing the suspects to flee, Lewis said. The display of the getaway car did prompt the attackers to release two children on Thursday afternoon, he added.

The ordeal began early Thursday morning, when as many as five assailants invaded a home and tied up six occupants. The attackers then stormed a nearby house, and police arrived after a neighbor called 911. One officer was slightly wounded by a shotgun blast.

As many as three attackers may have escaped in the confusion, police said.

All of the intruders were believed to be of Southeast Asian ancestry, police said, but it had not been determined if any were linked to a gangs. Elsewhere in Southern California, Asian gangs have staged “home invasion” robberies, victimizing other Southeast Asian families, Lewis said. The hostages were all members of a family of Cambodian immigrants.