Overview
A six-hour hostage situation at an office building in downtown Pittsburgh today ended peacefully after the suspect surrendered to police. The gunman, identified as 22-year-old Klein Michael Thaxton, first entered Three Gateway Center shortly after 8:00 AM, claiming to have bombs. Thaxton asked for a certain man before making his way to the 16th floor of the building. He then took the specified individual hostage in the offices of the CW Breitsman Associates, a company that runs employee-benefits programs. Emergency crews, including a police SWAT team, responded to the incident. The 16th floor was placed on lockdown and the remainder of the building evacuated as authorities negotiated with Thaxton. After surrendering to police, the hostage was freed unharmed. Police reported that no explosives were found within the building.
Details of the incident:
- At this time, it is unclear what Thaxton’s connection is to the company or the targeted hostage. Reportedly, he was not an employee there.
- Thaxton appeared to be cooperative during negotiations and did not make any demands. At a certain point, the suspect’s mother was seen walking into the building, most likely to assist with negotiations.
- Throughout the standoff with police, Thaxton was posting updates to his Facebook page showcasing his suicidal tendencies. His profile was eventually taken down. The following message was among the postings:
“this life im livn rite now I dnt want anymore ive lost everything and i aint getting it back instead of walkn around all broke…”
- Friends were responding to Thaxton’s messages, asking him to end the situation peacefully.
- Authorities say that Thaxton is a former member of the military with a criminal background. There is a possibility that he may be emotionally disturbed.
Implications
Although it is unclear why Thaxton targeted the individual or company, he appears to have pre-planned the incident. Reports indicate that he conducted surveillance of the building as recently as yesterday. Thaxton was able to gain access to his targets in a relatively short period of time with little resistance. These points reinforce the need for strong access controls, visitor management protocols and counter-surveillance measures at facilities.
Of note is the suspect’s use of Facebook to communicate in real time. There is a growing trend where social media is being utilized at both ends of the spectrum; to either incite violence or attempt to calm it. In this case, the suspect’s contacts encouraged him to surrender to police which may have influenced Thaxton’s decision to end the siege.