Faced with a tense hours-long hostage situation inside a Michigan bank, police ended the standoff by offering the suspect a Faygo Red Pop soda via drone, then shooting him as he reached for it.
On June 27, 31-year-old Quinton M. Allen entered the Mercantile Bank office in Saginaw Township around 5:30 p.m., shortly after it had closed for the day, MLive reported.
Inside, he confronted a lone 40-year-old female employee and attempted to cash a fraudulent check. When she explained that no cash was kept on-site and the branch required appointments, Allen reportedly attacked her with a sharp object and took her hostage.
Police from multiple agencies quickly responded, shutting down a busy stretch of the street and setting up a perimeter around the building. Allen made at least one request during negotiations: a 24-ounce bottle of Faygo Red Pop.
Around 8 p.m., Michigan State Police delivered the soda using a drone, hovering it outside a window to lure Allen into view. As he moved to retrieve it, a police marksman stationed on the roof of a nearby AutoZone fired a fatal shot through the window.
Allen was declared dead at the scene. The hostage, who sustained minor injuries, was treated at a local hospital and released that night. Authorities later confirmed that Allen was on probation for prior convictions of breaking and entering and retail fraud.
The officer who fired the shot is on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of a state investigation, as is standard protocol. The case has been turned over to the Michigan Attorney General's Office for review.
Originally published on Latin Times
