PITTSBURGH — A day-long standoff ended peacefully in Pittsburgh’s Knoxville neighborhood on Friday.
The man at the center of it, identified by the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office as Zachary Livingston, 30, of McKeesport, has been a fugitive for the last two months, wanted on three bench warrants for probation violations on burglary cases, and “a number of” active warrants out of multiple counties for theft, burglary and more.
The standoff began on Alice Street on Friday morning when Livingston fled to the roof as detectives tried to reach him from inside. He jumped from roof to roof in the neighborhood throughout the day.
Sources tell 11 Investigates that Livingston is a suspect that Pittsburgh police have been looking for in connection with 11 business break-ins that happened in the South Side and West End areas over the past two weeks.
Sources said Livingston would cut the power to the building so the alarm would not go off, break in and steal money from skill machines.
11 Investigates obtained a surveillance photo of him wearing a wig and leaving one of the businesses.
For much of Friday afternoon, Livingston stood on a porch roof. Around 5 p.m., police made a move. They attempted to grab the man, but he escaped and jumped onto the roof of the neighboring home.
Livingston then jumped back to the other house and climbed to the top of the roof. He was there for hours.
At one point, Pittsburgh firefighters used a chainsaw to cut holes in the roof to try and reach him. It didn’t work.
Many stood by and watched, including multiple people who said they were victims of Livingston.
“We all ran here. We’ve been waiting for months,” Aaron Duran said. He owns Medusa’s Lounge in Shadyside. “He took the power thing off the meter, shut the cameras off. He robbed me of money, DJ equipment.”
Around 8:45 p.m., Livingston finally climbed onto the ladder with police and firefighters. It wasn’t the end.
About midway down the ladder, Livingston attempted to jump off but was held by first responders.
Mattresses were even placed under the ladder in case of a fall.
Eventually, he got back on the ladder and was then restrained and sedated before being put on a soft stretcher and slid down to the ground.
Upon arriving on the ground, he was strapped to a gurney, put in an ambulance and transported to a hospital, then the Allegheny County Jail.
In all, it took 13.5 hours and more than 30 first responders to take Livingston into custody.
On top of the previous warrants, the sheriff’s office says Livingston is now facing new charges, including risking a catastrophe, resisting arrest and multiple counts of recklessly endangering another person.
Livingston is being held in the Allegheny County Jail and has been denied bail.
He will face a judge for his preliminary hearing on Oct. 1.
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