LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- An armed man who held his young son and a
waiter hostage for 11 hours at the luxury Boardwalk Inn hotel in
Walt Disney World surrendered peacefully June 30.
According to reports, Bismark Rodriguez, 39, was charged with
two counts of felony false imprisonment and a count of aggravated
assault for firing a handgun during the negotiations.
The hostages were Rodriguez's 4-year-old son and a waiter, who
had been delivering food to their room. Neither were hurt.
Rodriguez told reporters that he and his wife were going through
a divorce and he hadn't seen his three other children in 30
days.
Several families were evacuated from the 910-room hotel while
the negotiations were taking place. Disney treated evacuated guests
to food and beverages, and some were relocated to neighboring
hotels, such as Disney's Yacht and Beach Club.
According to published reports, many Boardwalk Inn guests were
unaware of the hostage situation, and the rest of the hotel and the
resort operated normally.