ATLANTA –
A man armed with several different weapons fired at least 15 gunshots through the walls and door and off the balcony of his apartment at a Four Seasons Hotel in Atlanta during a standoff Tuesday afternoon and was taken into custody, police said.
The 70-year-old suspect used a handgun, shotgun and rifle to fire shots during the altercation, Atlanta Chief of Police Darin Schierbaum said at a press conference. Two police officers shot back during the exchange. One officer and the suspect were taken to a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, but authorities didn’t know whether either were shot, Schierbaum said.
Police officers responded to a call around 10 a.m. about a mental health emergency in the residential area of the hotel in Atlanta’s Midtown neighborhood, Schierbaum said. Officers were told that the suspect had been involved in an altercation with a hotel employee, he said.
After police attempted to get the suspect to come to the door of his room and peacefully surrender, he started firing, Schierbaum said. The suspect also had multiple knives and threw at least one weapon off the balcony.
The suspect eventually raised his hands, and a SWAT team went to his door and took him into custody, Schierbaum said.
Police had set up a perimeter around the hotel and ordered a shelter in place advisory for nearby residents. They later lifted the advisory but asked people to avoid the area.
Authorities are investigating the altercation as an aggravated assault, Schierbaum said. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is investigating the officers’ use of force, he said.
Nearby streets in the area will remain closed as authorities investigate, police said.
