Harrowing Moment a SWAT Team Rescues Woman Who Was Allegedly Held Hostage at Gunpoint by Her Ex-Boyfriend

Dramatic video out of Redlands, California, shows the harrowing moment that a SWAT team swept in on Thursday to rescue a woman who was allegedly being held hostage by her ex-boyfriend, shooting and killing man before dragging the woman to safety.

That woman, identified by outlets as Kristin Bauer, 28, is reportedly in critical condition after her ex-boyfriend, identified in media as Andrew Mike, allegedly arrived at the Office Depot store where she works and subsequently held her hostage on a sidewalk; at one point, he also reportedly fired a shot at her.

"He did fire at her," Redlands Police Chief Mark Garcia said at a news conference. "The officers fired at him to try to stop that threat and be able to try to save her life."

The police action followed an argument that reportedly touched off between Bauer and Mike at the Office Depot location on Thursday afternoon, with reports indicating that the suspect also fired a shot inside of the store before bringing Bauer outside.

That shot grazed the hand of a customer who was not involved in the dispute, causing minor injuries.

"[The suspect] came to the store, looking for her. She tried to get away and he followed her out of the store," Garcia added. "At one point, he did fire a round in the store."

That's when the SWAT team acted in a coordinated effort to safe Bauer's life, with authorities unsuccessfully attempting to convince the man to release her. The stand-off reportedly lasted for two hours.

Video shows police dragging Bauer to safety amid the chaos before she was airlifted to a hospital, CBS News reported.

REDLANDS UPDATE: Hostage rushed away by SWAT after suspect shot, unclear if she's injured https://t.co/9od88Jz4j2https://t.co/3dTA7IqCwm

— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) March 25, 2016

Gregory Bauer, the victim's father, told KCAL-TV that the now-deceased suspect was a "good kid" and that this was seemingly out of character.

"Something triggered him," the father said. "He was nothing like this."

(H/T: Daily Mail)

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