Downey restaurant hostage recorded final video of armed suspect

FOX 11 - An armed suspect who led authorities on a high-speed chase and held hostages at a Downey restaurant left a final message for his family before being fatally shot by authorities.

Eddie Tapia said goodbye to his family in a video recorded by one of the hostages. He addressed his four children, saying he loved them and that he was sorry.

Tapia, who was suspected of vehicle theft and carjacking a second vehicle, led law enforcement personnel on a high-speed chase Thursday before running into Chris' and Pitt's barbecue restaurant around 7:45 p.m., where he was shot and killed, officials said.

The hostages that were in the restaurant when he bid farewell to his family expressed sympathy for him.

"He wanted to apologize to his family," one man explained. "It was just basically for his family so that he could just say sorry."

"Granted people are going to look and say, 'well how could he be nice? He took you in a hostage situation,' but reality is -- he could have shot all of us in there," another one of the hostages told FOX 11.

"He couldn't have let us out but he did, and basically this video was to say goodbye to his children. He loved his children."