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Members of the Patrol Division arrived in under one minute and observed one of the possible suspects run back into the residence. The tenant of the apartment was able to get out of the residence and alerted police that two other people were in the home prior to the armed suspects entering.

Pittsfield Police Respond to Home Invasion, Possible Hostage Situation

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Pittsfield Police arrested two men on Broad St. at the scene of a reported home invasion after activating the Special Response Team
 
Pittsfield Police responded to 18 Broad St. around 6:30 pm on Friday to a reported home invasion involving two masked armed individuals.
 
Members of the Patrol Division arrived in under one minute and observed one of the possible suspects run back into the residence. The tenant of the apartment was able to get out of the residence and alerted police that two other people were in the home prior to the armed suspects entering.
 
Attempts to contact or locate those individuals were unsuccessful resulting in authorities having to consider this incident a potential hostage situation. Berkshire County Special Response Team Commander John Murphy was notified. He responded to the scene and activated the Special Response Team (SRT). 
 
Broad Street was shut down in the immediate area and a perimeter was set up around the residence.
 
Around 8 pm two men exited the residence and were taken into custody by police for questioning. Another person believed to be in the home at the time of the incident was treated by EMS for a facial injury.
 
As of late Friday night detective bureau, drug unit and crime scene services were still in the process of identifying those involved and the roles they played in this incident. 
 
Police report that this was not a random incident and there is no threat to the public. The Detective Bureau continues to speak with witnesses and review area video surveillance.
 
The majority of the Pittsfield Police Department's resources were committed to this incident. As a result, the department requested mutual aid from neighboring towns. Members of the Dalton Police Department, Lanesborough Police Department and Massachusetts State Police assisted with the response to police calls for service within the city during this time. 
 
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Police Department Detective Bureau (413-448-9705), call the Tip line (413-448-9706), or send us a tip via text message by texting "PITTIP" and your message to 847411 (TIP411)
 
 
 

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Pittsfield Resident Victim of Alleged Murder in Greenfield

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A man found dismembered in a barrel in Greenfield on Monday has been identified as Pittsfield resident.
 
The Northwestern District Attorney's Office identified victim as Christopher Hairston, 35, and subsequently arrested a suspect, Taaniel Herberger-Brown, 42, at Albany (N.Y.) International Airport on Tuesday.
 
The Daily Hampshire Gazette reported that Herberger-Brown told investigators he planned on visiting his mother outside the country. 
 
Herberger-Brown was detained overnight, and the State Police obtained an arrest warrant on a single count of murder on Tuesday morning, the Greenfield Police Department said in a press release.
 
According to a report written by State Police Trooper Blakeley Pottinger, the body was discovered after Greenfield police received reports of a foul odor emitting from the apartment along with a black hatchet to the left of the barrel, the Greenfield Recorder reported. 
 
Investigators discovered Hairston's hand and part of a human torso at Herberger-Brown’s former apartment, located at 92 Chapman St, the news outlet said. 
 
According to the Daily Hampshire Gazette, Herberger-Brown originally told investigators that he had not been to the apartment in months because he had been in and out of hospitals. 
 
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