Gunfire erupted in Pittsburgh Wednesday as an anti-government squatter barricaded himself against deputies attempting to evict him from a house where he’d been unwelcome since March, according to authorities.
The suspect, William Hardison, who went by Bill, covered himself in body armor before trading hundreds of bullets with law enforcement officers in a standoff that lasted more than six hours on the 4800 block of Broad Street in the city’s Garfield neighborhood.
City police, deputies and other law enforcement officers from state, local and federal agencies evacuated neighbors and eventually killed Hardison.
Court records show a number of motor vehicle violations over the years, including several for driving without a license, forgery, as well as criminal cases involving a serious wreck, disorderly conduct, assault and unlicensed carrying of a handgun.
He was a self-described sovereign citizen, authorities said Wednesday, and a profanity-laced 2019 cellphone video shows him ranting at police, claiming they have no jurisdiction over him during a traffic stop.
“Fake cops, fake and fictitious,” he says at one point, with a half-dozen squad cars parked behind him, lights flashing.
Continued…
Approved ~ MJM
