Armed mand with explosives, and hostages in Traci's building.
 

Typical morning here at work, I have people stacked 3 deep as I am ulocking my door, Shop phone ringin, I'm and on my cell, when Traci calls.
Two floors above her office. I guess the guy has taken the whole office hostage, is armed, and says he has explosives.
She fortunately was meeting a client from out of town at the hotel next door ( PPG place ) for you Pittsburgh guys. So she had not made it into the office yet. They did succesfully evacuate the whole building, and she says she is standing in the hotel lobby surrounded by snipers , and Swat team people.
This is big news for Pittsburgh.

I hope this ends peacefully. Glad Traci is not there.

I meant Gateway center. I am glad she is not in harms way. Never a dull moment around here .

I saw that on the news this AM--crazy stuff.

Big news anyplace! Hope this ends without death...

Harper identified the man as Klein Michael Thaxton, 22, and said he is ex-military and targeted someone specific in the office. Harper said police are in negotiations. Thaxton's mother was seen walking into the building, accompanied by police.

"His demeanor is, from what we understand, relatively calm. He's sitting there talking to the negotiators at this time," Harper said.

Multiple posts have been made to Thaxton's Facebook page during the hostage situation:
- "this life im livn rite now i dnt want anymore ive lost everything and i aint gettn it back instead of walkn around all broke n (expletive) while (racial epithet) stunt on me n (expletive) "
- "welln pops youll never have to woryy about me again you'll nevr need to by me anything no need to ever waste ur hard earned money on me. i'll live n jail you dnt want me around anymore thats kool bye...i love u assata sis"
- 'i cant take it no more im done bro"

In July 2011, WTAE Channel 4 Action News covered a police chase that began with an alleged carjacking in McKeesport and touched Downtown, the West End and the South Side before ending with a crash in Oakland. Online court documents show Thaxton pleaded guilty in veterans court to robbery, inflicting bodily injury, receiving stolen property and fleeing or attempting to elude police, and he was sentenced to 6 to 12 months of "confinement" and three years of probation. A bench warrant was issued in May for an unspecified probation violation.

A witness at the scene told WTAE's Bob Mayo that a girl said her father is the hostage. She ran out of the office and screamed for someone to call 911. The company's website describes it as an independent third-party administrative firm for pension, retirement, health care and other group benefit plans.

http://www.wtae.com/news/local/allegheny/Negotiations-continue-in-Gateway-Center-hostage-case-in-downtown-Pittsburgh/-/10927008/16687840/-/iim75gz/-/index.html

He sounds like a charming guy. Hope it ends without gunfire.

On the local TV now, Armed guy just surrendered.

I wonder if he is one of the 47%.....