Chinese police shoot dead would-be bank robber, free hostage

BEIJING (AP) — Police in eastern China say they shot dead a would-be bank robber and freed the hostage he had taken. A notice on the social media account of the Tai’an city police department said Tuesday’s attempted robbery began around noon and ended with the suspect’s death about an hour later after officers issued multiple warnings. The notice gave no further details about the suspect, whether he was armed or the name of the bank, saying the case remained under investigation. Violent crime is relatively rare in China, whose ruling Communist Party maintains tight surveillance over citizens and bans private ownership of firearms. However, amid a slowing economy protests have broken out by bilked depositors targeting banks they accuse of malfeasance.