Pittsburgh police said they had serious concerns when an armed man took a business owner hostage in a downtown high-rise office building and not just because he had a knife.
The suspect, 22-year-old Klein Michael Thaxton, made Facebook posts during the five-hour ordeal Friday, authorities said, and they feared that responses from friends, family and others might goad him into violence.
In the end, police say, Thaxton surrendered peacefully and released businessman Charles Breitsman.
Now police believe that Thaxton might have chosen Breitsman because he spotted a smartphone and computer in his office and saw a high-profile opportunity to express himself on the social networking site, Chief Nathan Harper said.
Read also:
Facebook posts worry police in Pa. hostage-taking (Detroit Free Press)
After Facebook posts, Pennsylvania hostage-taker surrenders (Jackson Sun)
Facebook still a haven for criminals (PCWorld)
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