May 4, 2021:
Officers responded to an apartment complex on N. Fremont Avenue for a report of an armed ex-boyfriend outside of the victim's apartment making threats. Upon their arrival officers discovered that the male later identified as Damien Francis had gained access to the apartment. Officers were able to communicate with Francis through the door and realized this was a hostage situation.
For nearly an hour officers kept in communication with Francis from the hallway and exterior window. Francis would not let the victim open the door or leave the apartment. It was not until an entry team was assembled and Francis given warning that forced entry was about to occur that he unlocked the door. Officers entered the apartment taking Francis into custody without incident.
Francis was taken to the Allegheny County jail and faces the listed charges and was also wanted on a warrant from Pittsburgh PD.
