Canadian arrested after school hostage drama ends peacefully

Sep 24, 2008, 16:19 GMT

Washington - A gun-wielding 16-year-old Canadian who tried to hold a pastor and 300 students at his former school hostage on Tuesday was arrested and the incident ended peacefully, police said.

The boy, a former student of the Luther College High School in Regina, threatened the pastor at the daily chapel service that was attended by about 300 students, Canadian broadcaster CBC reported.

Student and witness Trista Gargol said the boy gave the pastor a three-page letter and threatened to shoot him if he didn't read it. The contents of the letter were not immediately known.

CBC also quoted another witness, Derek Debolt, as saying that the students thought the gun was a fake, but it was pointed at the pastor's face.

Teachers managed to safely escort most of the students out of the gymnasium where the service was being held, as the pastor read out the letter. About 60 students remained in the hall, the report said.

Police arrived at the school within minutes and managed to tackle the potential hostage taker with the help of two staff members.

Jennifer Arends, a spokeswoman for the school, told CBC News that all the students were safe, had been reunited with their parents and sent home.

One student told CKRM radio that the boy was a former student who was expelled last year.

Police provided no additional details, except for saying that they had seized a firearm at the scene when they took the person into custody, the Toronto Star reported.