'Hallucinating' man takes kindergarten boys hostage with knife

The 37-year-old man went to the Tuoi Than Tien in My Tho City at around 7 a.m., entered a classroom, snatched a boy with one arm while the other was holding a knife. He then tried to grab onto other kids in the class. The children screamed in fear as their teachers took them out of the site.

Witnesses said the man showed abnormal behaviors when he entered the school. The incident happened too quickly, so nobody had time to stop him. Dozens of police officers were dispatched to the school, and the area was barricaded.

Nguyen Van Nhut, director of the Tien Giang police, and head of the operation to rescue the kids and apprehend the man, said the police incapacitated and disarmed the suspect at around 9 a.m., bringing the kids to safety.

Nhut added that the man "might be hallucinating due to the influence of drugs."

Le Thi Be Phuong, deputy chairwoman of the My Tho People’s Committee, said all the kids were safe. One of the two boys apprehended by the man had a bruise on the neck, which might have been the place where the knife was pressed into his skin. Medical personnel have checked up on the kids. Some parents have brought their children home for the day, while others stayed in school.

An initial investigation revealed that the suspect was from the nearby Soc Trang Province. He currently lives with a woman in My Tho, and they have a child together. The couple had a fight on Thursday night, so the man took his child to a motel.

The next morning, he wrecked the motel room and took his child to the kindergarten, despite the kid not studying there.