Florida sniper sends attempted bank robber to the hereafter with a well-placed shot: 'A chaotic scene'



A convicted felon claiming to have a bomb held up a bank and took two hostages Tuesday in Fort Myers, Florida. When negotiations failed and the suspect appeared ready to slash a woman's throat, a SWAT sniper restored order with a well-placed shot.

Shortly after 11 a.m., the Lee County Sheriff's Office received a report of a robbery in progress with multiple hostages at the Bank of America in Bell Tower. Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said during a press briefing Tuesday, "It was a chaotic scene."

A man armed with a knife and claiming to have a bomb reportedly stormed the bank and leaped over the counter. The suspect has been identified as 36-year-old Sterling Ramon Alavache.

The LCSO indicated that Alavache is a convicted felon with an extensive criminal history, including drug trafficking, aggravated assault, and unlawfully carrying a concealed firearm in various states. WZVN-TV noted that Alavache had three prior arrests just in Charlotte County.

With the support of the FBI, the LCSO pulled out all the stops to resolve the incident, deploying a robotic dog, a SWAT team, electronics surveillance, and drones.

"A group of deputies immediately went into that building ... and began to — as people, dozens of people ran out — they began to secure all other portions of the building while simultaneously hostage negotiations began with our suspect," said Marceno.

New Video: Suspect dead after claiming to have explosives inside Fort Myers Bank of America at Bell Tower and US 41 in both directions has been reopened.\nhttps://t.co/JjLSmcCdiv
— (@)

Deputies attempted to negotiate with Alavache until he reportedly began to rough up the hostages.

Marceno said that "at one point during negotiations he became physical. He started to put one of the hostages in like a headlock and he had the knife to her throat. SWAT team was in place. When he presented deadly force like that, our SWAT sniper shot and killed the suspect. We were in fear for her life and safety."

Both hostages and all deputies apparently escaped the ordeal unscathed.

Authorities did not confirm whether or not Alavache did in fact have an explosive device on his person.

"It's a sad day when innocent lives are placed in jeopardy due to the senseless acts of others," the sheriff said in a subsequent statement. "My family members were faced with a tough decision today to neutralize an active threat to the public, during a very volatile situation. Let this serve as a reminder of how important it is to remain vigilant."

The LCSO confirmed to WZVN that the sniper who made the lethal shot at the bank has been placed on administrative leave per protocol.

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Spirit Airlines places 6-year-old boy on wrong flight — and panic ensues: 'Where is my grandson?'



Spirit Airlines placed an unaccompanied 6-year-old boy on the wrong flight to Florida last week, which left the airline apologizing and the boy's grandmother frantic.

What are the details?

The child was supposed to fly from Philadelphia to Fort Myers on Thursday but was "incorrectly boarded" on a flight to Orlando, Scripps News said, citing reports.

"The child was always under the care and supervision of a Spirit Team Member, and as soon as we discovered the error, we took immediate steps to communicate with the family and reconnect them," the airline said in a statement CNN obtained, according to Scripps News.

The outlet said local news station WINK-TV spoke with Maria Ramos, who identified herself as the boy's grandmother: "They told me, 'No, he's not on this flight. He missed his flight.' I said, 'No, he could not miss his flight because I have the check-in tag.' I ran inside the plane to the flight attendant and I asked her, 'Where's my grandson? He was handed over to you at Philadelphia.' She said, 'No, I had no kids with me.'"

Not surprisingly, Ramos said it was one of the scariest moments of her life, Scripps News said.

Ramos added to the outlet that her grandson Casper called to say he landed. Problem was that Casper landed in Orlando — about 160 miles away from Fort Myers.

To add insult to injury, Good Morning America said Casper's luggage was placed on the correct flight and made it to Fort Myers.

Ramos added to the outlet that it was her grandson's first-ever flight.

After figuring things out, Ramos drove over three hours to get Casper, Scripps News said, adding that Spirit offered to reimburse her for the drive — but mainly Ramos wants answers.

"I want them to call me. Let me know how my grandson ended up in Orlando. How did that happen?" Ramos asked, according to the outlet. "The flight attendant ... did she let him go by himself? He jumped in the wrong plane by himself?"

Spirit said in its statement that it's investigating, Scripps News said: "We take the safety and responsibility of transporting all of our guests seriously and are conducting an internal investigation. We apologize to the family for this experience."

Family speaks out after 6-year-old placed on wrong flight youtu.be

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'We got to do what we got to do': Journalist uses condom to protect microphone during Hurricane Ian broadcast



One local NBC journalist made waves on social media during her coverage of Hurricane Ian because of a practical measure she took to protect the network's broadcasting equipment.

On Tuesday, while NBC2 news reporter Kyla Galer was out covering the hurricane on location in Fort Myers along the southwestern coast of Florida, viewers noticed that her microphone was covered with something, ostensibly to protect it from rain and moisture from the storm.

Shortly after, people began inquiring about the makeshift microphone cover, ABC7 news anchor Jeff Butera confessed the truth: It was a condom.

"** WE PRACTICE SAFE HURRICANE REPORTING ** Yes, it's a condom," Butera tweeted on Wednesday. "Nothing better to waterproof a microphone. My Waterman Broadcasting colleague @kylagaler has been fielding lots of questions, haha. Moment of levity in this nasty storm... #HurricaneIan."


\u201c** WE PRACTICE SAFE HURRICANE REPORTING ** \n\nYes, it's a condom.\nNothing better to waterproof a microphone.\n\nMy Waterman Broadcasting colleague @kylagaler has been fielding lots of questions, haha. \n\nMoment of levity in this nasty storm... \n#HurricaneIan\u201d
— Jeff Butera (@Jeff Butera) 1664379011

Galer likewise confirmed the reporting via Instagram Story, which Hard Factor News then shared on Twitter.

**Warning: potential graphic content**

\u201cFlorida reporter defends putting condom on mic during Hurricane Ian broadcast\u201d
— HARD FACTOR (@HARD FACTOR) 1664397513

"A lot of people are asking what is on my microphone. It is what you think it is," Galer told her Instagram audience. "It’s a condom. It helps protect the gear. You can’t get these mics wet. There’s a lot of wind and a lot of rain, so we got to do what we got to do and that is put a condom on the microphone."

Galer and her colleagues were smart to take the extra precaution. Ian, currently a Category 4 but nearing a Category 5 hurricane, has reportedly come barreling through the Florida coast with winds over 150 MPH and storm surges of up to a record 18 feet. The City of Fort Myers was under evacuation orders, but officials say that it is now no longer safe to leave.

As of mid-afternoon on Wednesday, 450,000 Floridians had already lost power, and police, fire fighters, and other first responders are preparing for significant structural damage.

Governor Ron DeSantis (R) warned that Wednesday and Thursday would "be a nasty nasty ... two days" for the people of Florida.

Ian made landfall at 2:24 p.m. EST on Wednesday.