Hostage-taker arrested at Marsh

A man held a Marsh grocery store employee hostage Sunday night. The Bloomington Police Department received a call at 10:27 p.m. that a man armed with a gun and a bomb was inside the store located at 1825 N. Kinser Pike and was threatening to detonate the bomb, according to a BPD press release.\nThe man, who was wearing a gray sweatshirt and a black hat, initially went into the front office with two female employees, Bloomington Police Sgt. Jeff Canada said reading from a police report. The suspect let one of the employees, age 21, go before police arrived. The suspect made no mention of any demands. One of the employees told him to take the money, and he told her to shut up, Canada said. The suspect said the manager of the store had disrespected him some time ago.\nThe initial responding officers were able to see that the suspect was holding a handgun to a hostage, and had a "suspicious" device which he told the officers was a bomb, according to the press release. At one point he choked the hostage and threw her to the floor. Officers were able to contain the suspect in the office, establish a perimeter and have the surrounding businesses vacated for safety reasons.\nBPD negotiators successfully negotiated the release of the hostage at approximately 12:05 a.m, according to a press release.\nAt one point the suspect left the office and headed toward the front doors of the store, Sgt. Canada said. While the suspect was near the doors Officer Matt Gilmore hid behind a cabinet. The suspect then headed back to the office, and as he approached officer Gilmore identified himself. The suspect then ran to the back of the store. He fell while going through the double doors to the storage area in the back of the store. When the suspect fell, he lost his gun. The suspect continued to run, Canada said, but was then apprehended by the BPD Critical Incident Response Team.\nOfficers later found that the handgun was actually a BB pistol and the purported bomb was fake, according to a press release. James B. Robertson, 40, was first taken to Bloomington Hospital to be examined, and was then booked into the Monroe County Jail on charges of kidnapping, use of a hoax destructive device, resisting law enforcement and battery. Members of the Indiana State Police, Monroe County Sheriff's Department, IU Police Department, Ellettsville Police Department, Bloomington Fire Department and Bloomington Hospital Ambulance Service all assisted.