>>> THIS IS BREAKING NEWS FROM
WCCO.
>>> THANK YOU FOR JOINING US
LIVE ON CBS IN MINNESOTA.
WE CONTINUED TO FOLLOW A
HOSTAGE SITUATION AT A WELLS
FARGO BANK IN ST. CLOUD.
A FOURTH PERSON HAS BEEN
RELEASED.
OTHER EMPLOYEES REMAIN INSIDE
THIS ALL BEGAN ABOUT 1.45 THIS
AFTERNOON PICKETT HAS BEEN
GOING ON A WHILE.
ARE JEFF WAGNER HAS BEEN ON THE
SAME AS WELL.
HE JOINS US WITH THE LATEST.
>> Reporter: YOU MENTIONED FOUR
HOSTAGES HAVE BEEN RELEASE.
LAW ENFORCEMENT TELLING US
THERE ARE FIVE HOSTAGES TOTAL.
THAT FITS WHAT WE HAVE BEEN
SEEING AS WE LOOK THROUGH THE
WINDOWS OF THE ENTRANCE.
IF WE CAN ZOOM IN, EVER SINCE
THE FOURTH HOSTAGE WAS
RELEASED, WE HAVE SEEN PRETTY
BACK AND FORTH IN FRONT OF THE
FRONT ENTRANCE BEYOND THE
DOORWAY.
THE PERSON WHO APPEARS TO BE
THE SUSPECT, AND THE FIFTH
HOSTAGE.
WE HAVE HAD SEVERAL PEOPLE HERE
AT THE SCENE ACROSS THE STREET
TELL US THEY MAYBE EVEN
RECOGNIZE WHO THAT FIFTH
HOSTAGE MAYBE, AN EMPLOYEE.
FOUR HOSTAGES RELEASE.
WE HAVE SEEN EVERY SINGLE PERSON
. WE HAVE CAPTURED THAT ON
VIDEO GOING BACK OVER THE LAST
COUPLE OF HOURS.
EACH TIME A PERSON IS RELEASED,
THEY COME OUT SOMETIMES WITH
HER HANDS UP.
THEY ARE QUICKLY WHISKED AWAY
TO A WHITE SUV BY LAW
ENFORCEMENT AND DRIVEN AWAY
FROM THE SCENE.
A CROWD OF ONLOOKERS CHEERING
EVERY TIME. UNIQUELY, THE FIRST
TIME A HOSTAGE WAS RELEASED,
THE PERSON WHO APPEARS TO BE
THE SUSPECT THREW A WAD OF CASH
OUT THE FRONT DOOR, BUT THAT
WAS THE ONLY TIME THAT
OCCURRED.
AS YOU MENTIONED, THIS HAS BEEN
GOING ON SINCE JUST ABOUT 1:45.
THOSE NEGOTIATIONS WITH THICK
CLOUD POLICE, THE FBI, AND
NEIGHBORING LAW ENFORCEMENT ALL
COMING OUT TO HELP WITH THIS
SITUATION.
>> JEFF, WHEN HOSTAGE FOUR CAME
OUT, I SAW IT HAPPEN.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WERE THERE
TO SEE IT.
THIS WOMAN CAME OUT.
>> Reporter: I LOST TWO.
>> NO WORRIES.
THIS IS A LIVE SHOT OF WHAT IS
GOING ON AT THE BANK BRANCH IN
JEFF WAS TELLING US IT APPEARS
THAT ALL THAT IS LEFT INSIDE
THE BANK IS THE HOSTAGE.
I WAS TAKEN WITH HOSTAGE NUMBER
FOUR.
MOST PEOPLE HAVEN'T BEEN GOING
TO A BANK BECAUSE OF THE
PANDEMIC.
THESE PEOPLE WERE AT THE BANK.
THAT WOMAN WAS JUST CRYING AND
HER FOOT WALKED OUT THE DOOR OF
THE BANK.
DID YOU SEE THAT?
>>
>> Reporter: FROM OUR VANTAGE
POINT, IT IS HARD TO READ THE
EMOTION OF THE PEOPLE SPACES.
THEY WALK OUT, SOME WITH THEIR
ARMS UP, SOME NOT.
IT IS HARD FROM WHERE WE ARE TO
GATHER HOW THOSE PEOPLE FEEL IS
THE EXIT THE BUILDING.
FOR YOU TO SAY THAT PERSON WAS
IN TEARS, WE ABSOLUTELY
UNDERSTAND THE TRAUMA THAT THEY
GO THROUGH.
OF COURSE, THESE BANK
EMPLOYEES, I IMAGINE, ARE
THIS IS PART OF THE JOB.
HOWEVER, WE KNOW THIS IS A
RARITY.
THE TIMES THAT WE HAVE COVERED
BANK ROBBERIES, IT'S NOTHING
MORE THAN YOU HEAR OF A PERSON
PASSING A NOTE TO THE TELLER,
REQUESTING MONEY.
YOU GET SURVEILLANCE PHOTOS.
THAT IS HOW IT PROGRESSES.
FOR THIS TO TURN INTO A HOSTAGE
SITUATION, WE ARE UNAWARE WHAT
TYPE OF WEAPON THE SUSPECT HAS.
BUT TO BE HELD IN THERE AGAINST
THEIR WILL FOR FOUR, FIVE HOURS
NOW HAS TO BE A TRAUMATIZING,
AND THEN THE RELEASE OF BEING
RELEASED ONCE THEY ARE FINALLY
OUTSIDE AND IN THE SAFETY OF
LAW ENFORCEMENT, NO LONGER
CAPTIVE IN THAT BUILDING, HAS
TO BE SOMETHING ELSE.
>> YOU CAN SEE THE RELIEF AND
RELEASE ALL OVER HER FACE.
IT REALLY CAPTURED THE DRAMA OF
WHAT IS GOING ON.
IT RIGHT NOW BECAUSE WE ARE
DIGGING THROUGH IT AND WE NEED
TO BE SENSITIVE IN A SITUATION
LIKE THIS.
BUT WE UNDERSTAND THAT THE
HOSTAGE TAKER MAY HAVE USED
FACEBOOK FOR A WHILE.
HAVE YOU SEEN THAT FACEBOOK
LIVE POST? OR HAVE YOU HEARD
ABOUT THAT?
>> Reporter: I HAVE HEARD ABOUT
THE POST.
WITH OUR CAMERAS, WE WERE ABLE
TO SEE AND ZOOM IN THROUGH THE
WINDOW AND SEE THAT THE SUSPECT
WAS HOLDING HIS PHONE.
IT APPEARED AS THOUGH, WE WERE
WONDERING IF HE WAS ON FACEBOOK
LIVE OR IF HE WAS FACE TIMING OR
IF THAT WAS HIS WAY OF
COMMUNICATING WITH LAW
ENFORCEMENT FOR THE NEGOTIATIONS
, IF IT WAS OVER THE PHONE.
RECENTLY, YES, WE HAVE LEARNED
THAT THE SUSPECT MAY HAVE BEEN
ON FACEBOOK LIVE. BUT NO, I
HAVE NOT PERSONALLY SEEN IT
YET.
BEFORE HE PUT THAT ON OUR
DIGITAL CHANNEL OR OVER OUR
AIRWAVES AS WELL.
WONDERING IF YOU HAD HEARD THAT
AS WELL.
I GUESS IF THERE'S ANY KIND OF
PEOPLE ARE SAFE, AND ONLY ONE
KIND OF REMAINS IN DAMER DANGER
ALONG WITH THE HOSTAGE TAKER.
IS THAT CORRECT?
>> Reporter: THAT IS CORRECT.
THE THING WE HEARD FROM THE
BEGINNING FROM THE WELLS FARGO
SPOKESPERSON IS THAT NO ONE IS
INJURED.
FROM SEEING THE PEOPLE COMING
OUT OF THE BUILDING, THEY
DON'T.
INJURED.
THEY ARE ABLE TO WALK ON THEIR
OWN TWO FEET, OTHER THAN BEING
EMOTIONAL.
PHYSICALLY SAFE.
>> THE STRIP MALL IS FAIRLY
BIG.
THERE IS A LEWINGTON AND A
COSTCO.
NIGHT GATHERING IN ST. CLOUD.
>> Reporter: WE ARE GOING ON
HOW MANY HOURS, AND THERE ARE
SIGNIFICANTLY PEOPLE OUT.
THE CROWD IS PERSISTING, THEY
WANT TO SEE THE SITUATION GET
RESOLVED IN A SAFE MANNER.
>> JEFF, WHAT AM I NOT ASKING
OR ARE WE NOT THINKING ABOUT?
ANYTHING ELSE YOU CAN SHARE
WITH US?
>> Reporter: WE HAD HEARD FROM
PEOPLE THAT THIS IS A VERY BUSY
BANK, ON THIS CORNER AT THIS
INTERSECTION.
MANY ARE SURPRISED TO HEAR THAT
THERE MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN ANY
CUSTOMERS IN THERE AT THE TIME,
WEREN'T TAKEN HOSTAGE BUT WE
HAVE RUN INTO A COUPLE PEOPLE
WHO AT LEAST HAD FAMILY MEMBERS
WHO ARE CUSTOMERS HERE.
THEY HAVE BEEN TELLING US, THAT
IS A HUGE BANK.
THERE'S AT LEAST 10 EMPLOYEES
PLUS.
THERE'S THE WHOLE BACK SECTION
WHERE WE HAVE BANKERS HELPING
PEOPLE WITH THEIR MORTGAGES.
TO HEAR THAT THERE IS
POTENTIALLY JUST FIVE HOSTAGES
, SOME QUITE A RELIEF THAT
THERE'S NOT MORE PEOPLE
INVOLVED.
THE FACT THAT ACCORDING TO LAW
ENFORCEMENT, AND ACCORDING TO
WELLS FARGO OFFICIALS, THERE'S
NO CUSTOMERS HELD HOSTAGE.
IT MUST'VE JUST BEEN AT THE
RIGHT TIME FOR PEOPLE WHO WERE
NOT THERE.
>> I DON'T KNOW WHAT WELLS
FARGO RULES ARE.
MY BANK, I COULDN'T GO TO MY
MAKE UP UNTIL ABOUT FOUR DAYS
AGO WITHOUT CALLING AHEAD AND
ASKING IF I COULD COME BY.
BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC.
MAYBE THAT'S A BLESSING IN
DISGUISE FOR THE NUMBER OF
PEOPLE THAT WERE THERE.
>> Reporter: IT COULD BE.
PEOPLE MAY BE TAKING AT THE
DRIVE THROUGH INSTEAD. THAT
COULD HAVE IMPACTED THE
SITUATION IN THE NUMBER OF
PEOPLE IN THERE.
FOR ME PERSONALLY, I HAVE BEEN
INTO A BANK WITHIN THE LAST FEW
MONTHS.
I'M NOT A WELLS FARGO CUSTOMER,
SO I CAN'T SPEAK TO HOW THINGS
ARE OPERATING AT THE SPECIFIC
LOCATION.
>> JEFF, WE WILL CHECK WITH YOU
A LITTLE BIT LATER.
WE APPRECIATE THE UPDATES.
PEOPLE, ACCORDING TO JEFF,
RELEASED FROM THE WELLS FARGO
BANK IN ST. CLOUD.
THE HOSTAGE TAKER REMAINS
INSIDE THE BANK AS WELL AS ONE
HOSTAGE.
WE WILL CONTINUE TO UPDATE THIS