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McKees Rocks Borough Council President Arrested After Standoff

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – The president of the McKees Rocks Borough Council is facing a long list of charges following a standoff.

Around 7:30 p.m. Sunday, police were called to a home on Catherine Street in McKees Rocks. A man told police that his father was threatening to strike him with a baseball bat.

When police arrived, they say 53-year-old Keith Schwab ran into his basement and may have secured some type of firearm.

"The officers said they heard what was the sound of a round being racked into a rifle," said McKees Rocks Police Chief Robert Cifrulak. "Scwhab threatened them to get out."

At that time, the Allegheny County SWAT team was called to the scene. Negotiators established a dialogue and negotiated with Schwab for more than six hours.

Even Schwab's wife tried by phone, but he told her he had "thousands of rounds" inside the house. Then, the complaint says he told the chief he had "bullets that can penetrate vests."

"At one point, they felt the negotiation were failing," said Chief Cifrulak. "The SWAT team utilized gas. Eventually, he came out of the house, he was still non-compliant. They finally used a bean bag round to finally subdue him."

Chief Cifrulak said Schwab has been the McKees Rocks Borough Council president for several years.

"He's a hardworking person, very dedicated to borough council. He works hard. He's committed to McKees Rocks. This is just an unfortunate thing we hope we can put in the past and get over," Chief Cifrulak said. "He's a good person. This is out of his character, but we certainly have to err on the side of caution."

Schwab was taken to the Allegheny County Jail and charged with a long list of charges, including making terroristic threats and recklessly endangering others.

Schwab's wife and kids were able to make it out of the house before the standoff. None of them were injured.

McKees Rocks Mayor Jack Muhr said it will be up to the solicitor to determine if Schwab will keep his job as council president.

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