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.
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, who is the father of the two children, got into an argument with their mother. He was able to get into the apartment and then began making threats to hurt the kids. The kids’ mother 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.
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW