Antioch Gas Station Hostage Calls Carjacking Suspect 'A Total Gentleman'
ANTIOCH (CBS SF) -- A chaotic East Bay crime spree is over after a man accused of carjackings and a hostage ordeal at an Antioch gas station was arrested Wednesday afternoon.
It ended with police dragging and cuffing the suspect at an Arco gas station near Highway 4, where police say he took the station's owner and employee hostage.
One hostage was released about 2:30 p.m. About an hour later, the other hostage was released. The suspect then surrendered and was arrested.
Gas station owner Jack Bhalla had nice things to say about the alleged hostage-taker.
"He was a total gentleman, never misbehaved, not even a disrespectful word," he said. "A total gentleman."
That total gentleman had a gun when he barged into Bhalla's gas station auto shop with police hot on his tail.
"He said 'I won't harm you, rest assured I won't harm you,'" Bhalla said. "'I won't do anything to you.'"
But the suspect never gave any indication as to what led him to set up camp at the station.
"We asked him why the police is after you, he did not answer that. He just kept quiet," Bhalla said.
Before Bhalla was nearly thrown to safety by heavily armed officers, he spent two and a half hours trapped with the alleged carjacker. So he tried to be his friend.
"I told him, 'you're thirsty, pick up a drink and have it,' then he had the drink of his choice," Bhalla said.
A Brisk iced tea and some time seemed to take the edge off.
"We started feeling that this guy will give up," he said. "His attitude was becoming softer and softer and softer."
Now that the suspect is in police custody, Bhalla said if he could say anything to him, it would simply be, "God bless him."
