One Man In Custody After An Hours-Long Standoff In Westmoreland County
NEW KENSINGTON (KDKA) -- A man finally surrendered to police after being holed up inside his home for six hours Tuesday night.
The New Kensington Police Chief says the suspect in the six-hour standoff should be arraigned Wednesday. Neighbors say it was a long, eventful night in what is usually a quiet neighborhood.
"Come out, come out!" Betty Maloney exclaimed, describing how police were shouting in their attempt to get her neighbor, Dean Kestner, to come out of his home Tuesday night.
Police were called to Kestner's home in the 500 block of Ridge Avenue just after 5 p.m. Tuesday. New Kensington Police Chief James Klein says Kestner was upset that a neighbor's dog was barking and he used a compound bow to fire two arrows at the dog, then threatened his neighbor.
"At that point then he decided to go back in the house and have some choice words with some people, and come back out with a shotgun, is what the neighbors reported," said Chief Klein.
Officers later learned the gun wasn't a shotgun, but a BB gun. Police said Kestner went back in his home with the gun and didn't come out for nearly six hours. Neighbors say the noise and the police activity was an inconvenience.
"The SWAT team coming in, just everything that you don't see, because it doesn't happen in your neighborhood every day," Tammy Sperling said.
"It's pretty intense," said Maloney. "You're not used to hearing that kind of thing and then to hear they're shooting at dogs it's like, woo, because these are my babies (referring to her Boston Terriers.)"
SWAT team members finally convinced Kestner to come out around 11:30 p.m. using flash bang grenades. Facebook video shows officers getting Kestner to the ground.
Chief Klein said Tuesday wasn't the first time officers have had this type of incident with Kestner.
"This is something that can't go on," said Klein. "We need to make sure that the community is safe."
Kestner faces charges including making terroristic threats, endangering others and simple assault.
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