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Suspect in Gateway Hostage Situation Convicted of Carjacking in January

Klein Michael Thaxton has been identified by police as the man holding a hostage at Three Gateway Center.

The 22-year-old man identified as the suspect in Friday's Three Gateway Center hostage situation was convicted earlier this year in Allegheny County for a carjacking.

Klein (also identified as Kleine) Michael Thaxton pleaded guilty in January in Veterans Court to felony counts of robbery and receiving stolen property. 

He also pleaded guilty to misdemeanor counts of simple assault, reckless endangerment, fleeing or attempting to elude an officer. In addition, he pleaded guilty to driving without a license and other summary traffic offenses.

Allegheny County Judge John A. Zottola sentenced Thaxton to spend 6 to 12 months in jail and 3 years probation.

In May, the court issued a bench warrant for Thaxton due to a probation violation.

Police arrested Thaxton in July 2011 after grabbing a woman around midnight at a McKeesport BP gas station, throwing her to the ground and stealing her blue Hyundai Elantra, KDKA reported.

He led police on a lengthy car chase that ended with him jumping from the roof of an auto body shop in Uptown, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

KDKA reported that University of Pittsburgh Police attempted to stop him about 1 a.m., but that he took off and led police on a chase through the Uptown neighborhood..

Thaxton jumped out of the vehicle at the intersection of Gist and Tustin Streets, ran onto the top of the Forbes Auto Body and jumped to the roof of a neighboring property before injuring his ankle and being caught by police, KDKA reported.

LeonA September 23, 2012 at 02:14 am
cc7:28 pm on Saturday, September 22, 2012
An article in another Paper stated that he was suffering from PTSD and has gone to the VA for help but was turned away. >> Evidence please. Thank you.
LeonA September 23, 2012 at 02:15 am
Name the paper please.
NE12Ukid September 23, 2012 at 02:26 am
As part of his service plan from Veterans' Court, Thaxton agreed to participate in an inpatient treatment facility, and at the conclusion of the program, to move to a half-way house, and to cooperate with any recommended mental health and drug and alcohol treatment.
Also during his short stint in the USArmy he was never deployed. Not surprisingly details continue to emerge.
PITT#983 September 23, 2012 at 08:22 am
Ella Thaxton actually carjacked a female in Mckeesport in 2011the night he fled from police in the car he stole. He is not a capable of decency and is simply a criminal. He can get mental health help if he needs it but right in the ACJ where he belongs
Ed M September 23, 2012 at 10:52 am
What paper cc? Post-Gazette or Trib?
cc September 23, 2012 at 11:18 am
I see NE12Ukid has a new name now LeonA, goes great with your other names that you have on here
cc September 23, 2012 at 11:19 am
why comment on anything when you know nothing about but are so good at copy and pasting articles from the paper
NE12Ukid September 23, 2012 at 12:02 pm
what's that you say, hey, cc?
Remember the old song, makes me think of you "paranoia strikes deep, into your mind it will creep" LOL! BTW, what paper did you see that in? No one else saw that, why don't you share your source?
cc September 23, 2012 at 02:26 pm
NE12Ukid - thought you quit talking to me as you stated on another post. BTW their are more then 2 papers in Pittsburgh beside the Trib and Post Gazette. You also claim that Thaxton has Axis 1, if you knew anything about the ILLNESS you would know that PTSD falls under Axis 1, again you stick your foot in your mouth.
NE12Ukid- this is what your 5th name that you use on the Patch to attack people. Your not worth it to answer, as you are a waste of air. GOOD BYE to someone who knows little about nothing, but claims to be an expert on everything.
cc September 23, 2012 at 02:45 pm
"Thaxton has a criminal history. In March, he was arrested on suspicion of carjacking a motorist in McKeesport, and then giving chase when police tried to arrest him, according to the Pittsburgh Post Gaztte."
Suspicion is different from actually yet you found him guilty. Another name that NE12Ukid made up to use, what a joke.
Erin Conners September 23, 2012 at 04:03 pm
Defense spending and veterans support spending are two different expenditures.
The GOP recently voted down the Veterans Job Act. Only Republicans voted against it, 2 Republicans voted for and 2 abstained. Pat Toomey (PA senator) voted "nay" on the Veterans Job Act. I have searched this subject in Fox News, waiting for them to cover it, and I have yet to see anything. Now, why would a credible news source choose not to cover a huge legislative decision like this? Really, Obama is not against the military. I promise that when Obama wins (and he is going to win), I am going to be very disappointed at his _not_ reducing defense spending. My biggest problem with Obama has always been the lack of reducing foreign entanglements.
Erin Conners September 23, 2012 at 04:14 pm
Here is a good article explaining why the Veterans budget cut arguments back and forth are often misleading. This article leans in favor of the Rep party (though is not against the Obama administration), and is linked on Politifact. I know that you do not like factchecker and snopes, but Politifact is a very good site that does a lot of sourcing and busts both parties for being misleading or lying. Check it out.
http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012309210194&adjusted=1
Erin Conners September 23, 2012 at 04:32 pm
This is a reeeaaallllyyy good article on defense cuts. Basically, both parties are using the budget debates for their own political purposes. Congress could not agree, they made a committee, congress was told by the Obama admin if they did not approve a budget massive cuts would happen across the board automatically (threat to congress to encourage them to pass a budget), but they still have not passed a budget despite Boehner urging them to. So these defense cuts by the Obama admin are not really defense cuts by Obama but are the result of Congress (holds the purse strings) refusing to pass a budget. Many of these decisions by the Republicans have been made as a strategic effort to make Obama look bad and get him out of office, which is very dangerous for the country.
http://www.politifact.com/florida/statements/2012/sep/21/mitt-romney/obama-blame-defense-sequestration-says-romney-ad/
NE12Ukid September 23, 2012 at 05:08 pm
Thanks for some factual information, Erin Conners.
On a more personal level, we have six members of family in military, 3 USAF (1 ret), 2 USArmy, 1 USNavy. All are supporting Obama, and say they have various benefits that they would not have received without his actions.
NE12Ukid September 23, 2012 at 05:09 pm
Man, I didn't want to address you again, cc, but the falsehoods just have to stop. Where did I say anything about PTSD? You must be halucinating again.
NE12Ukid September 23, 2012 at 05:11 pm
Welcome to the growing family, PITT#983, we'll have to get a bigger table for our Thanksgiving feast this year, LOL!! At least you are in good company, PITT!
NE12Ukid September 23, 2012 at 05:16 pm
PITT, right you are about that carjacking, as the article above clearly state!
Whether the man is capable of decency is another topic IMO, best determined by his health care professionals. "The 22-year-old man identified as the suspect in Friday's Three Gateway Center hostage situation was convicted earlier this year in Allegheny County for a carjacking.Klein (also identified as Kleine) Michael Thaxton pleaded guilty in January in Veterans Court to felony counts of robbery and receiving stolen property. He also pleaded guilty to misdemeanor counts of simple assault, reckless endangerment, fleeing or attempting to elude an officer. In addition, he pleaded guilty to driving without a license and other summary traffic offenses." http://baldwin-whitehall.patch.com/articles/suspect-in-gateway-hostage-situation-convicted-of-carjacking-in-january
Roger September 23, 2012 at 05:39 pm
NE12 ... so getting benefits because of decisions of Obama is the reason they are supporting him? Do we hear you right?
cc September 23, 2012 at 05:44 pm
Erin your right obama isn't against the military, but wants to cut it down to nothing, cut spending down to nothing. obama is out to destroy our military. He wants our wounded Vets to pay for their own medical cost yet they got injured fighting for our freedom.
There are many that came back from over in Iraq can't get treatment though the VA for (Axis 1, which also consist of PTSD). Thaxton might not have fought over in IRAQ or any country but he was being trained for " 1st Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kanas as a combat engineer." He was training with Explosives and we don't know what went though his mind and what kind of mental illness that could of sparked from his training with explosives. All people react differently and his training could of triggered Axis 1. My son was hurt in a Humvee over in the sandbox and the Fireworks down at the Point this year triggered his PTSD, which the VA says doesn't exist and isn't paying for his treatment. His job that he has now as a truck driver has great medical insurance and are paying for his medical less his co-payments on medical and his co payments on the drugs he has to take to control PTSD. This is why I don't want obama voted back in office, how he has treated our military that has came back from war. Like when our Military came back from Vietnam and they got spit on from our government, what obama is doing to them now.
cc September 23, 2012 at 05:54 pm
That is the best laugh and joke that I have heard today from NE12Ukid about the great benefits that only the 6 members of his family are getting whom are military, wonder who they know because a good portion are having a very hard time getting treatment though the Va. I bet NE12Ukid relatives were also have 5 stars, received every metal of honor from each branch and each have received Purple Hearts many of times over. his family was the only one that went over to fight and did it all on their own. What time does Mickey Mouse Alarm Clock go off.
Erin Conners September 23, 2012 at 06:12 pm
I don't disagree about this guy possibly being negatively affected by his training. Not at all.
But did you read the articles that I posted? Explaining why both parties are pretty much in the same boat with benefits to veterans and defense spending? They play with numbers to try to sway your vote. Remember, here we are dealing a lot more with Congress than the executive branch when it comes to spending. Did you see that the GOP voted down the Veterans Jobs Act? Asking honestly, why do you think that the Republican party voted down the Veterans Jobs Act (increasing assistance to veterans)? That is a clear cut bash on Veterans by the GOP, whereas all of these other "Obama wants the military down to nothing" comments don't really have any factual basis. He does not. After the election, I think we are going to see relatively more of the same with defense spending. He has publicly said that he does not support further defense cuts (I wish he did). Read that other article explaining defense spending cuts. The executive branch put in place an across the board budget cuts (50% in defense) _only_ to take place if Congress did not pass a budget. It was an incentive/threat from the executive branch (Obama admin) to make them compromise and pass a budget. Nobody really believed these cuts were going to take place, and they have not yet, but if Congress doesn't pass a budget they will. Remember, Congress spends the money, not the president.
Erin Conners September 23, 2012 at 06:22 pm
Here is an article from navytimes.com. Seems like a source you could get behind.
"While the bill was a top priority of President Obama and many veterans’ organizations, the House of Representatives had no plans to take it up for consideration this year." http://www.navytimes.com/news/2012/09/military-veterans-job-corps-act-senate-091912w/ I will just add that I have no real opinion on this bill, and it was voted down under the premise that it added to VA spending. So now you have to stop and think. Well, you say the GOP supports veterans. The GOP is opposed to increased VA spending, but they are for a much larger increase in defense spending....
NE12Ukid September 24, 2012 at 03:34 am
ccThat is the best laugh and joke that I have heard today from NE12Ukid about the great benefits that only the 6 members of his family are getting whom are military, wonder who they know because a good portion are having a very hard time getting treatment though the Va. I bet NE12Ukid relatives were also have 5 stars, received every metal of honor from each branch and each have received Purple Hearts many of times over. his family was the only one that went over to fight and did it all on their own. What time does Mickey Mouse Alarm Clock go off.
`````````````` You are disgusting and disrespectful to these fine miliary personnel who are serving OUR country.
NE12Ukid September 24, 2012 at 03:49 am
... six members of family in military, 3 USAF (1 ret), 2 USArmy, 1 USNavy. All are supporting Obama,AND say they have various benefits that they would not have received without his actions.
Roger then asks ... so getting benefits because of decisions of Obama is the reason they are supporting him? Do we hear you right? No, you did not read it correctly, Roger, so I copied and capitalized the operative word AND. It does not say BECAUSE, it says AND. Two things. Now, as to WHY they choose to support Obama, that's six people, I am sure they, like anyone else, have different reasons. I do know that one reason is that one of them is a very strong supporter of women's rights, among other reasons. I found some interesting information at military.com, will share below.
NE12Ukid September 24, 2012 at 03:55 am
Quote from military.com
Ron Paul was the favorite among military givers, but donors' focus shifted to Obama in March, according to federal elections data analyzed by the Center for Responsive Politics. Romney remains an also-ran when it comes to backing from the military. From January 2011 until March, servicemembers who gave more than $200 contributed about $333,134 to Paul's campaign, as compared to about $184,505 for Obama and just $45,738 to Mitt Romney. "But in March, Obama and Paul switched places," Choma wrote. "Members of the military sent $36,448 to Obama and just $17,733 to Paul. Military donations to Romney campaign -- only $8,630." If Obama's fundraising edge among troops continues to build, it would be a repeat of his performance in 2008 when for a time troops were giving to Obama as much as six to one over his Republican opponent, Arizona Sen. John McCain. That was a shift, however, in the historical alignment of the force, according to the center's analysis. In earlier cycles, military donors tended to give more to Republicans. In 2000, George W. Bush outraised Democratic Vice President Al Gore almost 2 to 1 among military donors.
Cindy Cusic Micco (Editor) September 24, 2012 at 04:08 am
Please focus comments on the story and issues.
Specifically, please show respect for those who serve in the military.
Roger September 24, 2012 at 10:27 am
NE12 ... thank you for the clarification. We know that government benefits to voters is helpful in getting the votes at election time. That you for pointing out the relationship between their benefits and their decision to support Pres Obama.
Ed M September 24, 2012 at 10:55 am
cc you posted
"cc7:28 pm on Saturday, September 22, 2012 An article in another Paper stated that he was suffering from PTSD and has gone to the VA for help but was turned away. " LeonA and I have both asked what paper and you have yet to answer. Either you read it in the paper or not.
Erin Conners September 24, 2012 at 11:05 am
So Roger, are you against government benefits for veterans or are you mad that Obama is not giving enough?
And how about the GOP voting down the Veterans Jobs Corps Act? Despite the fact that the majority of the Senate voted for the Act, they needed 2/3rds and were short 2 votes. All "nay" votes were Republican.
NE12Ukid September 24, 2012 at 01:11 pm
Thank you, Cindy!

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