Bank Robber Releases Hostages in Texas

What a way to ring in the new year: A five-hour hostage situation in a Texas bank has come to an end, with all the hostages released and the two robbers in custody. The masked men took the hostages around 11:30 a.m., after they saw a police officer pull into the parking lot. During the standoff, one of the alleged robbers surrendered and five of the seven hostages were let go. A bank manager was severely beaten, and his status is unknown. Sixty police officers and FBI agents surrounded the building, and inside a SWAT team negotiated with the remaining robber, who eventually released his last two hostages, at which point three bank employees stepped out of the closet where they’d been hiding during the standoff.