Man in custody after hours-long North Strabane SWAT situation

NORTH STRABANE TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A man is in custody after an hours-long standoff with police in Washington County that shut down a main neighborhood road in North Strabane Township.

Police were called to a home on Demar Boulevard around 3 p.m. Thursday after they said Edward Snarey Jr., 69, assaulted his 92-year-old mother.

“They could see fresh wounds on her from the domestic and she was able to get out of the residence. In speaking to the actor, he would not speak to police anymore, closed the door, requested we get a warrant,” said Lt. Michael Miller, with North Strabane Police.

When Snarey refused to come out of the home, police called in the SWAT team.

Curious neighbors spent much of the evening watching from a distance.

“I got home from work, I was getting a couple texts saying like, ‘Hey, the street’s blocked off,’ I didn’t really know what was happening. I got home and I’ve been standing out here with a couple of the neighbors just seeing what’s happening, what’s going on. It’s just been crazy since I got home,” said neighbor Jenna Jaap.

Investigators say there were multiple complicating factors during the standoff.

“We found out that there was also another female inside of the residence. Through our investigation we found out there were weapons inside of the house,” Miller explained.

After multiple gas canisters were used by police, officers wheeled Snarey out of the home on a stretcher around 8 p.m. and put him in the back of an ambulance.

According to police, he was not hurt but was taken to the hospital to be checked out as a precaution because of the gas.

“There was a good amount of gas that was put in the house. He would not come out on his own,” said Miller. “Once he’s cleared from the hospital he’ll be going to jail.”

According to police, Snarey’s mom will be okay, and no one else was hurt.

Snarey is charged with simple assault, neglect of a care-dependent person, terroristic threats and disorderly conduct.

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