PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh police SWAT team has responded to a high-rise office building downtown where a man armed with a handgun and carrying a bag or bags with unknown contents is holding a hostage or hostages. Police indicate the man entered the building around 8:20 a.m. today and went up to an unspecified office suite on the 16th floor of Three Gateway Center. The building is one of six office buildings that dominate the city skyline nearest Point State Park. Police have evacuated the building and say there have been no reports of shots fire or injuries at this point. A hostage negotiator was on the scene as of 9 a.m. Police had entered the building, but it was not clear whether or not they had made contact with the hostage taker. A police spokeswoman has yet to provide more details. Traffic in the area has been restricted.
