Hostage standoff in US ends with captives freed unharmed

An armed man who burst into a United Parcel Service facility in southern New Jersey early Monday and took two people hostage was arrested and the captives rescued, authorities said.

Police burst into the UPS building in Logan Township, east of Philadelphia, shot and wounded the attacker and took him into custody, Web site NJ.com said.

A spokeswoman for Gloucester County, quoted by CNN, announced the release of the two women, who had been taken hostage early in the morning.

CNN reported that the assailant fired at least one round at the ceiling without injuring anyone.

Both women were employees of the package-delivery company and one of them was the shooter’s former romantic partner.

The incident resulted in the closure of nearby businesses and schools and local police deployed about 30 officers in the vicinity.

Minutes before the incident’s conclusion was announced, Gloucester County prosecutor Charles Fiore said at a press conference that police were in telephone contact with the assailant.