3 Killed as Argentine Bank Heist, Hostage Drama End in Gunfire

A nationally televised hostage drama ended in a barrage of gunfire Friday, leaving three people dead in a bloody finish to the botched holdup of a rural bank. Hundreds of people protested afterward against police handling of the 20-hour standoff.

In an episode that revived election-year debate about crime in Argentina, two hostages were killed and a third hostage seriously wounded as the captors attempted a predawn getaway from a branch of Banco de la Nacion in the farm town of Villa Ramallo, 125 miles north of Buenos Aires.

One of the gunmen also was killed. Police arrested two suspects, and one of them later hanged himself in his cell, police said.

The gunmen had seized the branch manager, an accountant and four other hostages Thursday morning during a botched heist, authorities said. They holed up in the bank after neighbors swiftly alerted police, who sent more than 200 officers.

Thirteen hours after the robbers stormed the bank, three hostages were released unharmed Thursday night. The shooting erupted hours later, when the hostage-takers tried to escape. The branch manager and the accountant were killed, and the manager’s wife was wounded.

Demonstrators questioned whether police opened fire on the getaway car without regard for the hostages. Authorities began an investigation.