#Criminal suspect with grenade takes police chief hostage in Ukraine

Enlarge Image

Ukrainian law enforcement officers are seen near a site where a man armed with a grenade holds a policeman hostage in Poltava, Ukraine
REUTERS

A criminal suspect in Ukraine managed to get away after he pulled a hand grenade and forced a police chief to drive him for hours through the countryside — with other officers on their tail.

The incident began when cops tried to detain Roman Skripnik, 32, accused of stealing a car outside a court building in Poltava, according to police. The man took one of the cops hostage and threatened to blow up the officer and himself with a hand grenade, authorities said.

Skripnik then agreed to swap the officer for the chief of regional police, who drove him around in a car provided by authorities at the kidnapper’s request.

Police vehicles trailed the car for more than six hours along country roads before Skripnik left the chief in the car and fled into a forest.

The police official was unharmed, and authorities were still working to apprehend Skripnik.

Skripnik had three prior criminal convictions for theft, fraud and drug possession, officials said.

The incident comes two days after Maksym Kryvosh, 44, an animal rights activist and ex-con armed with guns and explosives, allegedly seized a small bus in northwest Ukraine.

He only released the 10 hostages remaining onboard and turned himself over to authorities after President Volodymyr Zelensky promoted a 2005 animal rights documentary starring Joaquin Phoenix.