PITTSBURGH -- Police closed off most of the Golden Triangle and blocked highway exits to Downtown while they investigated reports of an armed man atop a building on Wednesday afternoon.

After about two hours of frenzied activity, police officials held a news conference on Penn Avenue to announce that the man seen by witnesses had only been firing at pigeons.

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Video: Downtown Pigeon Scare
Video: Downtown Shutdown Affects Workers

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"What we had here was a man with a pellet gun that looked like a rifle, and he was shooting at pigeons," Pittsburgh Police Chief Dom Costa said. "According to a supervisor, he brings it to work sometimes."

Police have not decided whether any charges will be filed. They are still waiting to interview the man.

The street closures began at about 1 p.m. in the 500 block of Penn Avenue (click for map), near the intersection with Cecil Way.

The building in question is used by the Pittsburgh Culinary Institute, and was home to a Horne's department store years ago.

Officers from several departments responded, including Pittsburgh police, state police, Port Authority police and the Allegheny County Sheriff's Department.

Streets throughout the Golden Triangle were closed during the investigation, as was the inbound side of the Fort Pitt Tunnels. Also, no cars were allowed to access Downtown from Pittsburgh's highways.

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