MARISA
IT'S ONE OF HAWAII'S MOST
NOTORIOUS
STANDOFFS...AND IT ALL WENT DOWN
22 YEARS
HOSTAGE ON SAND ISLAND...LEADING
TO AN
AND MIRANDA HAD HIS SHOTGUN
TAPED TO THE
DOESN'T TALK ABOUT THE INCIDENT
OFTEN...BUT HE
TWO.
I was just beyond scared having
it duct taped to my
head.
I showed very little emotion,
was just letting the hostage
negotiators do their job with
him and try to bring a
peaceful end to this quickly.
but that was not to happen.
they were just trying to do
everything to get him to give
up and he would not give up. It
all started early that
morning .. Tom showed up for
work at Seal Masters, on
Sand Island.
and i got in and i noticed my
boss' door was locked so i
and he pulled me inside the
office and there was other
hostages in the building at that
time. including bosses.
Miranda shot one of the bosses,
Guy George, in the
leg.
He later escaped through a
window.
and that's when john miranda
went into a complete
rage. and directed one of the
other hostages to duct tape
the shot gun to my head.
i don't know, i really don't
know why me. i have no idea
i was maybe the closest one to
him or he didn't really have
of the building ..but
police were waiting.
and at that point he just turned
us around and went
he started to count down at the
end of the day. He
demanded and pushed the gun in
the back of my head
the shotgun and demanded I
count. And I wasn't going to
to my own death. As Miranda
counted down from 60.
I was telling myself if they
don't shoot him or do
something by 10 that is going to
be my zero. and i'm going
to die trying to save my own
life at that stage.
he got to 13 and I swung around
and the shotgun had
enough play in the duct tape
he was a large man, and the
police, the swat team just
opened fire on him.
and i didn't suffer any
injuries. It was quite
miraculous.
it did. I've always been a very
easy going happy go
lucky kind of guy. So i still am
that person but i do
appreciate everything that i
have. and friends, family
things like that and just
enjoying life because it is so
AFTER THAT LIFE CHANGING EVENT
... TOM
TONIGHT WE'VE SHARED HIS STORY
...BUT WE
HAVE MUCH MORE ON THE BACKGROUND
OF
COM.