Friday's Hostage Incident in San Pedro Has Authorities Concerned
Friday's assault and hostage taking incident at the Amnet Cable offices in San Pedro has authorities worried, as it is the fourth such case in three years. Quick police action and with the help of a hostage inside the facility, the situation came to a successfull conclusion with none of the hostages harmed and the assailants in police custody.

However, authorities fear that hostage taking may be a growing trend as more and more anti socials may decide to take hostages to force their victims to hand over the loot and use them as shields in the escape.

The four hostages inside the Ament offices located two blocks south of San Pedro mall were held at gunpoint by three assailants for 90 minutes as police put into action one of a number of their tactical maneuvres to end the siege peacefully.

In March of 2005, Herlyn Hurtado and two brothers stormed the Banco Nacional branch in Monterverde, holding a number of hostages captive and keeping police at bay for more than 28 hours. Nine deaths, including two of the assailants, along with 17 injured was the tally at the end of the ordeal.

Hurtado is currently in the final phases of the trial against him, looking at more than 300 years in jail.

Several months later, in July of 2005, stormed a home in Tibás looking to rob the home of some a "considerable" amount of US currency that was supposed have been kept there. The assailants however found eight members of the family in the home, along with two friends. A quick reaction by police brought the situation under control and four hours later the assailants gave themselves up without any harm to the hostages.

However, in January 2004, Wilbeth López took his estranged wife, three children and a brother in law hostage in La Carpio after her forced his way into his wife's home and began shooting. López took the lives of this three children, and injured his estranged wife and her brother before taking his own life. All police could do is confirm the dead victims and the assailant.