Hostage crisis passes 24-hour mark

The showdown between local and federal authorities and Gordon Aldan Castro, a man who took a woman hostage to avoid arrest, passed 24 hours yesterday and is on track to pass the 48-hour mark.

As of 6:30pm yesterday, the Department of Public Safety has yet to apprehend Castro who took his supposed girlfriend hostage at around 1pm Tuesday afternoon to avoid being arrested on a warrant.

Castro and his alleged girlfriend remain barricaded in Castro’s family residence deep in the village of San Antonio behind the basketball court.

An officer at the scene who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity believes the showdown could drag longer because Castro has made no demands and is not showing signs of surrendering.

The officer added that this is one of the longest-running hostage incidents in the CNMI and they fear the uncertainty of what Castro might do.

In an interview with DPS spokesperson Dre Pangelinan, he said local and federal agents have not rushed in on Castro because their priority is the safety of the hostage and the community.

The Public School System called off classes for Francisco M. Sablan Middle school, the school closest to the scene, until Castro is apprehended.

Neighboring residents will also remain evacuated from the area until Castro is apprehended.

In a press release from DPS yesterday, it said that Castro discharged several more rounds toward an area where officers were posted at 11:45am. DPS states there are no injuries from the rounds that were discharged.

At about 11:57am, officers delivered another package of consumables to the suspect and DPS said negotiations for his surrender are still ongoing.

Those negotiations have been ongoing since Tuesday night, but the suspect initially disconnected the phone line until he requested for food and a drink.

From 7:14am through 7:53am, the suspect fired two rounds a few times, totaling six rounds that were heard in the area.

Police were executing an arrest warrant for Castro at his residence in Afetnas last Tuesday, but he shot a few rounds in the air to scare off the police.

The warrant of arrest for Castro is for attempted first-degree murder, assault with a dangerous weapon, unlawful discharge of a firearm, possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony, use of a weapon in the furtherance of a crime of violence, and disturbing the peace.

This was in connection with another hostage incident back in 2015 when Castro held his family hostage for seven hours at his house in Afetnas.

Castro allegedly threatened his common-law-wife with a knife if police wouldn’t leave while confining her and their two children in the house.