Shots fired in Manila hostage crisis — report

(Updated 7:29 p.m.) Sniper shots were fired Monday night near the bus where a hostage-taking incident was taking place, according to a live report of GMA News "24 Oras." The driver of the bus, who was earlier reported handcuffed to the steering wheel, escaped moments after the shots were fired. The shots forced media men covering the hostage crisis to scamper for safety, said GMA News anchor Mike Enriquez in his report. In a separate report, Raffy Tima said the shots were fired after the bus showed signs of driving off where it was parked in front of the Quirino Grandstand in Luneta Park. The shots were also fired minutes after SPO2 Gregorio Mendoza, brother of hostage-taker former Senior Inspector Rolando Mendoza, was arrested by elements of the Manila Police District (MPD). Nine of the more than 20 passengers of the bus, most of them Chinese tourists, had already been released and are now undergoing stress debriefing. The hostage crisis started Monday morning. - KBK/VS, GMANews.TV