Capture Scene.
Xingtai, Hebei - At 6:39 AM on September 4th, surrounding a farmhouse in the village of Hou Sunzhuang in Youfang Town, Qinghe County, over 60 armed police officers and public security officers were on standby with loaded weapons. More than ten gun barrels from higher positions were aimed at the target inside the courtyard. Following the commander's order, three tear gas grenades exploded indoors. The fugitive, who was armed, fled out of the house without his weapon and was captured alive by the public security officers. Thus, a "siege battle" lasting 13 hours came to a successful conclusion, and the major fugitive Yang, who had been on the run for five years, was finally caught.
■ Robber Reappears After Five Years
At 15:00 on September 3rd, a villager in Qinghe County reported that Yang, who had been on the run for five years and was carrying a firearm, was currently at his home. The Director of the Public Security Bureau of Qinghe County, Wu Donglin, quickly mobilized more than 40 officers from the Criminal Investigation Team, Public Security Team, Youfang Police Station, and Zhao Store Police Station, equipped with 20 short guns, rushing to the scene.
The 38-year-old suspect Yang had multiple times colluded with others to commit masked home invasions and robberies in Youfang and Zhao Store areas between June and July 2005. This man was ruthless and skilled in martial arts. During the initial capture attempt, other members of his gang were arrested, but he narrowly escaped. Over the past five years, he purchased firearms and weapons, wandering around. Occasionally when he returned home, he stayed hidden during the day and active at night, carrying a gun to threaten and extort money from villagers. He also repeatedly claimed he would emulate Shanghai's Yang Jia and take revenge on society by committing a shocking crime. In the last five years, the police organized four capture operations, all of which failed. Yang’s escape posed a significant public security hazard.
To ensure a successful capture, Wu Donglin not only organized the police force but also reported to the duty leader of Xingtai Public Security Bureau, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Chief of the Criminal Investigation Brigade, Xing Qunying.
Xing Qunying rushed to Qinghe while coordinating with the Xingtai Armed Police Detachment for reinforcements.
On the afternoon of the 6th, reporters learned from the Armed Police Detachment of Xingtai that after receiving intelligence, the detachment quickly selected well-trained emergency response teams and rushed overnight to the incident site.
■ Capture Process Took Only Four Minutes
After snipers occupied high ground and completed the three-dimensional blockade deployment, the participating soldiers attempted psychological warfare, but the criminal refused to surrender and intended to resist until the end. Due to unclear information about the criminal's firearms, the joint command group decided to strengthen the blockade and wait until dawn before taking action.
At dawn, the police began their operation. After thorough reconnaissance of the environment, sniper points were set up in the east, southeast, west, and southwest directions of the courtyard. Led by four snipers from the armed police, they used sniper rifles and automatic rifles to control the courtyard. Two armed police assault team members on the roof where the criminal was hiding broke the glass with bricks and then threw four tear gas grenades into two rooms to force the suspect out. Seven public security detectives entered the yard through a gap opened by the armed police in the south wall of the gatehouse and quickly moved forward to carry out the arrest.
The entire capture process took only four minutes, and the once arrogant suspect Yang was captured alive by the public security officers. Officers seized one five-barrel shotgun, one dagger, and two bags of ammunition on the spot. After an urgent interrogation, clues were obtained, and at 11 PM on the 4th, another suspect Wang was also apprehended.
Upon investigation, it was found that between June and July 2005, suspects Yang and Wang colluded with Jia A, Jia B, and Yang B (all three have already been sentenced) to commit two masked home invasion robberies in Zhao Store and Youfang, involving a value of over 50,000 yuan; Suspect Yang also committed multiple robberies and extortion crimes in Zhao Store and other places over the past five years.
Currently, this case is under further investigation.