Lawyer found dead after hostage-taking at San Juan

MANILA - Both victim and suspect involved in the hostage-taking in Balonbato, San Juan were found dead after the incident. It was around 9pm Monday night when security guard Charliemaine Aton, 35, took as hostage Atty. Solomon Condonuevo, 67, at the latter's office at N. Domingo. Negotiations continued until around 7:35 Tuesday morning, until a gunshot was heard from inside the building. The SWAT team entered the building, and found the victim shot in the head. The suspect later shot himself, even before the authorities were able to reach him. According to reports, the security guard was having personal problems prior to the incident. Condonuevo was brought to San Juan Medical Center for treatment, but later died around 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday. One member from the SWAT team was also injured during the encounter. Sir. Insp. Merchor Rosales, deputy chief of police of San Juan, said that they had a hard time negotiating with the hostage taker because he kept changing his mind. It was also believed that the suspect was mentally unstable because he was asking to speak with US President Barack Obama and President Noynoy Aquino. Reports show that Aton initiated the hostage-taking after a heated argument with his employer because of a missing key. ---from a report by Dennis Datu, DZMM