SWAT team, police officers respond to ‘false alarm’ in Canonsburg
A Washington Regional SWAT officer works outside of Frank Sarris Public Library in Canonsburg.
Canonsburg Mayor David Rhome, right, and Washington County District Attorney Gene Vittone, center, speak to an unidentified woman Thursday evening outside Frank Sarris Public Library.
Police officers and firefighters are seen Thursday evening on College Street in Canonsburg.
CANONSBURG – Washington Regional SWAT team and police officers from several departments responded to what turned out to be a false alarm on Church Street in Canonsburg Thursday afternoon.
Canonsburg police chief Alexander Coghill said the incident began when a third party called Washington County 911 at about 4:30 p.m. to report a man was holding a woman hostage at gunpoint inside the home.
Coghill said police were unable to make contact with anyone inside the house initially, “so at that point we had no choice but to treat it as a real situation.”
Eventually, they talked with the woman, who told police she was not harmed and was fine.
Coghill said police determined the woman was not being held against her will, and there was no gun threat.
Police then talked to the man, who said he didn’t know what was going on.
“After a lengthy investigation, we determined no crime was committed, there was no hostage situation, and she was free to leave at any time,” said Coghill. “It ended up just being a big false alarm.”
No arrests were made following the incident.
Coghill said the investigation is ongoing and “we do have some knowledge of some prior history of domestic violence.”
He declined to release the names of the couple involved,or the person who made the phone call, but noted there were “some intoxicated people.”
Police are trying to determine if the person who notified 911 was concerned a hostage situation was taking place or if the person purposely misled authorities.
Two hunting rifles were removed from the home, but Coghill said they were unloaded and were taken as a precautionary measure.
Residents had been asked to stay indoors and several nearby borough streets were closed during the incident.
“We’re just happy everything ended peacefully and no one was hurt, and I applaud everybody that was here to help us,” Canonsburg Mayor David Rhome said.
Police officers from North Strabane, Cecil and Chartiers townships, state police and the sheriff’s department, along with Canonsburg firefighters and the U.S. postal inspector responded. The house was in close proximity to the Canonsburg Post Office.
The incident was cleared sometime after 6 p.m.