Police lieutenant  surrenders after armory stand-off

An armed second lieutenant in the National Police who barricaded himself in the armory of a police station surrendered his weapons after a three-hour stand-off that brought his wife and brother to the site on, Meléndez Avenue, in Colón, after a police negotiating team failed to persuade him.

 Sergio Cochez, who reportedly had 18 years service took over the armory at 11 a.m on Friday June 28 allegedly due to alleged irregularities in the force.

. During the siege he talked on his cell phone with a journalist and complained of corruption in senior ranks Some 20 detonations were heard, leading teachers and students to evacuate a nearby school.

The Deputy Minister of Public Security, Omar Pinzón, and the Director General of the Police, Alonso Vega Pino, and units of the Joint Task Force arrived at the station.

A police a statement, said that a specialized staff, followed the established protocols and there were no injured persons or hostages.

The incident came in a month when three policemen committed suicide, bringing the total for the year to four.