Teenage bank robber shot by police

A teenager, suspected of robbing a bank and taking a woman hostage in southern Stockholm, was shot and wounded by police who thought he was carrying explosives. Officers confirmed that they fired at the 19-year-old man in the Huddinge branch of Swedbank this week after he threatened staff with a replica pistol.

According to a police statement, the bank was evacuated and blocked off when the young man took another customer hostage. “Because the perpetrator and the hostage were left in the building, the police’s special negotiators were called in,” the statement read.

The man then reportedly tried to leave the bank with his female hostage. “When they came out police successfully separated the perpetrator from the hostage and in connection with the arrest a situation arose in which the police fired shots at the perpetrator, who could then be arrested,” the police statement continued.

According to The Local, bomb technicians were summoned as the police believed the man was carrying explosives when he entered the bank. It was determined by the team, however, that he was not carrying a bomb.

The 19-year-old was taken to Karolinska University Hospital for treatment after being shot in the arm and the leg. The hospital has declined to issue any statement about the man’s condition.