Children safe after hostage situation on Pittsburgh’s North Side, man in custody

PITTSBURGH — A hostage situation involving children on Pittsburgh’s North Side is over.

There was a heavy police and SWAT presence on East Ohio Street at Allegheny Commons on Tuesday afternoon because a man was holding a 21-month-old boy and a 7-month-old girl hostage inside an apartment.

SEE PHOTOS OF THE SCENE

The man is now in custody. Our crews saw him taken out of the apartment in handcuffs surrounded by SWAT officers.

The kids are safe and uninjured.

Investigators say before the hostage situation began, the man got into an argument with the mother of the children. She was able to escape the apartment.

For almost two hours, negotiators tried communicating with the man. It wasn’t until SWAT officers used flash bangs that he finally came out. Shortly after the situation wrapped up, we spoke with the mother of the children.

“He grabbed my baby like he was gonna kill us. Like, he came out bum-rushing my mother like he was gonna kill her and everything, we had the security guys come in and kick the door down with their guns drawn,” she said.

We’re still working to learn the man’s name and what charges he will be facing.

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