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Suspect in Monongahela standoffs surrenders

By Paul Paterra and Jon Andreassi 4 min read
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Police set up a staging area on Third Street in Monongahela during the standoff Wednesday.
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Police believed an armed suspect may have moved to this building at the corner of Chess and Third streets in Monongahela, but no arrests were made Wednesday.
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Officers blocked off Marne Avenue Wednesday morning during a standoff with an armed suspect in a car theft.
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The SWAT team prepares to take a battering ram to the building at the corner of Chess and Third streets in Monongahela.
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Emmanuel Houghton is led away from the building in handcuffs following the second standoff Wednesday.

MONONGAHELA – After nearly 12 hours and two separate standoffs in Monongahela, a 19-year-old car theft suspect accused of firing at officers surrendered without incident Wednesday evening.

Emmanuel Houghton, 19, was led in handcuffs from a house at the corner of Third and Chess streets at around 7:30 p.m. Houghton, whose hometown was not immediately available, is suspected of stealing a car in the city and firing at police officers after giving chase earlier Wednesday.

A SWAT team used tear gas, pepper balls and a battering ram to force him from the house.

Washington County District Attorney Jason Walsh said Houghton is also a suspect in an Allegheny County homicide but did not provide details.

Walsh said a warrant will be obtained to search for weapons, but said he understands Houghton was in possession of loaded guns.

He lauded the SWAT team for apprehending Houghton without injury.

“They took as much time as possible to not have anybody injured or shot,” Walsh said. “They did everything that they were trained to do and they did it well. There were no casualties. There was nobody injured and they were able to get him in custody with no collateral damage. They did everything under their power to get him to surrender peacefully.”

Walsh said the chase started in Allegheny County. “He led them on a chase through Allegheny County and back,” Walsh said. “That is what started this whole ordeal. We believe he fired four rounds at a Monongahela police officer during that pursuit.”

Walsh said officers were communicating with Houghton through Facebook Live while he was streaming during the standoff and asked for his mother. She arrived at the scene and pleaded with her son to come out of the house.

“Please come outside,” she could be heard saying. “Whatever you’re doing, stop. I love you.”

In the earlier standoff, police blocked off Marne Avenue, as well as Chess Street between Fourth and Third streets. However, it appeared as though the suspect managed to slip out of the house at 235 Marne. Witnesses told police they saw a suspicious person in the area. Police checked the nearby Marshall Marra Funeral Home and a building at the corner of Chess and Third.

By about 1:30 p.m., the scene had largely cleared of police. The first standoff lasted about three hours.

The SWAT team returned to the neighborhood at about 4 p.m.

Jason Malek, of Monongahela, said earlier in the day that he called 911 at about 6:30 a.m. Wednesday after realizing his two vehicles were gone from his driveway.

Malek, who lives on Mound Street near Mounds Park, said a neighbor told him that at about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, there was a group of four people walking around his house.

“I was actually on my way to go fishing with a friend, and I come out to a driveway with no vehicles,” Malek said, referring to his GMC Yukon and Acura.

Malek said he made a “big mistake” by leaving his keys in the Acura.

“You know, something I shouldn’t be doing. Especially with an expensive vehicle like that,” Malek said. “They were crazy enough to literally take the key for my Yukon off of my Acura keychain, and steal that too. So that sounds really crazy to me. I’m still trying to get over that one.”

At the scene of the first standoff, Malek said he knew the Acura was nearby in Monongahela, but did not know where the other vehicle may be.

According to Malek, his wife’s purse was in the Yukon.

“All the credit cards, her driver’s license. All that fun stuff,” Malek said.

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