Police: Man Barricades Himself In West Deer Home, Sets It On Fire And Shoots Roman Candle At Officers
WEST DEER, Pa. (KDKA) - A man barricaded himself inside a burning home he set ablaze himself while throwing fireworks at officers, police said.
Police said the man inside a home on Huntertown Road in West Deer Township started fires inside his house and shot fireworks and flares out of his windows. The intense standoff unfolded in the middle of the usually quiet neighborhood around 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
NewsChopper2 captured flames and smoke pouring out of the home as it was surrounded by law enforcement.
"I got my dog and took him for a walk and people said it was a standoff. I said this is not normal for Cedar Ridge. We live next to a farm, like no one locks their doors, we're off the beaten path," said Shari Whitico, who has lived in the Cedar Ridge neighborhood for 35 years.
West Deer Police Chief Robert Loper told KDKA that this all started as a welfare check.
WATCH: Jessica Guay reports
According to the criminal complaint, dispatchers received a welfare check call and they were told William Bryar had a flare gun and a sword and he was threatening to turn the gas on and blow up the house.
Chief Loper said the 54-year-old man argued with the officers when they arrived before firing Roman candles from an upstairs window, just barely missing the officers. One of the fireworks struck a police car.
"We heard what we thought were gunshots but were Roman candles. So we came over here to look, and then we saw them surround the house and saw the smoke and everything," said Colin Simcoviak, who has lived in the neighborhood for his whole life.
West Deer Fire Chief Josh Wiegand said Bryar started fires inside the home and threw a propane tank at one point.
Chief Loper said the North Hills Special Response Team tried negotiating with Bryar but he kept refusing. Loper said gas was deployed in the home, and Bryar fired flares toward SRT members. One operator suffered minor injuries.
Loper said a second SRT member hurt their ankle in the backyard. Those injuries were minor as well.
"It's crazy because nothing ever happens around West Deer, really around this area at all. It's a pretty good community. It's pretty scary. That's the world we live in today though, you never know what's going to happen," Simcoviak said.
Bryar surrendered on his driveway and was taken to a local hospital, where he remained on Wednesday night. He's charged with two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of recklessly endangering another person and one count of arson, dangerous burning.
