Hostage situation Downtown brought to peaceful conclusion

An “evil mood” allegedly prompted 22-year-old Klein Michael Thaxton of Beechview to bicycle…An “evil mood” allegedly prompted 22-year-old Klein Michael Thaxton of Pittsburgh’s Beechview neighborhood to bicycle Downtown early Friday morning with a cell phone, charger, hammer and kitchen knife.

Thaxton, a military veteran with a criminal record, allegedly took Charlie Breitsman, CEO of CW Breitsman Associates LLC, hostage on the 16th floor of 3 Gateway Center Downtown around 8:15 a.m. that morning. Thaxton then allegedly held the victim captive for more than five and a half hours before voluntarily surrendering to police officers at about 2 p.m.

Shortly after Thaxton surrendered to authorities, police spokeswoman Diane Richard said that Breitsman remained unharmed. He was reunited with his family before being taken to police headquarters for a debriefing.

Richard called Thaxton “an actor” in the day’s events, but she also noted that he was “a sick young man” and that the police would ensure that his rights were respected.

While negotiations with the suspect remained ongoing, Pittsburgh police chief Nate Harper periodically updated the press outside of the building where Thaxton was allegedly holding Breitsman hostage. The situation resulted in the evacuation the high-rise office building and disruption of a busy downtown thoroughfare.

Harper said there was no indication that Thaxton was carrying explosives or a firearm at any point during the incident, despite earlier reports that he might have been carrying both.

According to police, Thaxton issued no demands during the negotiations with authorities. Harper said Thaxton remained cooperative and his mood stayed relatively stable throughout the incident.

Harper said that Thaxton’s selection of CW Breitsman Associates as his target was “completely random” and that there was no previous connection between Thaxton and Breitsman’s firm, which handles employee benefits. During the press conference, Harper added that Thaxton had told detectives that he chose to enter the 3 Gateway Center building because he “felt there was no security.”

Harper said he believed that Thaxton’s state of mind contributed to his actions.

“There is a good possibility that there are some mental issues,” he said.

Harper said Thaxton entered Breitsman’s office in particular because he saw that Breitsman had both an iPhone and a computer.

The suspect posted updates to his Facebook from the 3 Gateway Center office throughout the morning before authorities shut down the page in the early afternoon.

Thaxton also told authorities he chose not to threaten a woman because he had previously carjacked a woman in McKeesport, Pa., and did not want to victimize another.

During the ordeal, Harper said, Thaxton threatened to kill Breitsman and at times allegedly held his knife to the hostage’s throat.

Denise Weiss, 48, was in an office on the 17th floor of the Gateway building when Friday’s events unfolded. At about 8:30 a.m. she received a call from a colleague who said that police had entered the building’s lobby and were ordering occupants to evacuate. She called co-workers to pass the order along and exited onto the street.

Weiss characterized the scene outside the building shortly after the evacuation as “scattered” and “chaotic,” with police officers urging the evacuees from the building and telling passers-by to move away.

Max McTiernan, a 53-year-old attorney who works with Weiss on the 17th floor, received Weiss’ call about the police order but originally chose to remain in his office.

“About 15 minutes later, I heard some noise, so I went into our reception area and saw a SWAT team coming out of the elevators,” McTiernan said.

He added that the officers, who carried automatic weapons and wore full protective gear, told him and the other employee who chose to remain in the office to stay there. He believed that the officers were going to the floor below his office.

About 15 minutes after that, another uniformed police officer arrived on the floor and ordered McTiernan and his co-worker to leave.

“He was emphatic that we needed to leave, and we needed to leave now,” he said.

Both Thaxton and Breitsman remained unharmed after the former’s surrender, Richard said. Police reopened the building and nearby streets soon after.

In a press conference held after the incident, Harper said that Thaxton was currently living in a three-quarter house, but Harper said he did not know why. As a condition of his surrender, Thaxton was allowed to speak with his ex-girlfriend from 2008, whose name police did not release. He then gave himself up to police peacefully.

Harper also said that Thaxton’s mother and other family members were present on the scene and communicated with him during the negotiations, imploring him to find a peaceful resolution to the situation.

Thaxton is charged with kidnapping, terroristic threats and aggravated assault.

Assistant News Editor Michael Ringling contributed to this report.