A scary and ultimately fatal hostage situation at an Oklahoma Walmart was caught on tape by the store’s security camera. The MWC police force released the video today showing 37-year-old Sammie Wallace taking a 2-year-old girl hostage at knife point.
According to ABC , the Walmart hostage situation occurred on June 17 at a store in Midwest City, Oklahoma. The little girl was shopping with her mother, Alice Keating, when Wallace snatched the child out of the woman’s shopping cart.
The man held a knife up to the toddler as authorities tried to convince him to let the little girl go. The hostage situation ended when an officer shot and killed Wallace at point blank range.
Midwest City Assistant Police Chief Sid Porter said: “He had a weapon in his hand. A knife-type weapon holding up against the child, threatening the child’s life.”
According to WPEC TV , officers quickly evacuated the store and started negotiating with Wallace. They talked to Wallace for about 30 minutes before Wallace told them that he was going to kill the girl in 60 seconds. Wallace pressed the knife against the child’s neck and started counting down from 60. That’s when officer shot and killed him.
Former FBI agent Brad Garrett said: “When a subject starts telling you that in 60 seconds he’s going to kill a hostage, that’s going to move you right up to the point that you will shoot him and that’s what occurred in this case.”
Here’s a video of the Walmart hostage situation.
Midwest City Police Chief Brandon Clabes said: “Obviously, our goal was to talk him down to get him to release the child. Unfortunately, we weren’t successful but we were successful in saving this child and the fact is that Capt. Huff’s actions were extremely heroic and he waited till the very last moment.”