An armed suspect was arrested after barricading himself inside the Four Seasons Hotel and engaging in a standoff with the Atlanta Police Department and SWAT officers in Atlanta, Georgia, on Tuesday.
In a Wednesday press release, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) said it was conducting an investigation into an “officer-involved shooting” in Atlanta.
“The preliminary information indicates that, at approximately 10:12 A.M., the Atlanta Police Department responded to a report of a subject pointing a gun at an employee at the Four Seasons Hotel,” the press release stated. “The residential manager was contacted by a resident who advised a subject had thrown items into the hallway on the 33rd floor.”
According to the press release, the manager went to the floor and was confronted by 70-year-old Jay Berger, who pointed a gun at him. After returning to the ground floor of the hotel, the manager notified the police.
When law enforcement officials arrived at the hotel, the 70-year-old barricaded himself inside his apartment. The GBI explained that SWAT officers were requested and were deployed to the hotel.
“The subject began firing a weapon inside his apartment and into the hallway. As rounds were fired through the walls at SWAT officers, one officer returned fire,” the GBI said in its press release. “One SWAT officer was injured during the incident (possibly by shrapnel). The subject then proceeded onto the balcony of his apartment and began throwing items off the balcony. At some point during the encounter, a SWAT sniper fired at the subject and struck him.”
The SWAT team was eventually able to enter the suspect’s apartment and arrested Berger. The GBI said Berger was transported to a local hospital for medical treatment and that the suspect would be booked into the Fulton County jail after his release from the hospital.
READ MORE: Naked man arrested after police standoff
According to Fox News, during a Tuesday press conference, Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said Berger appeared to have suffered from a mental health crisis and had been involved in an altercation with a hotel employee. Schierbaum told reporters that Berger is believed to have fired at least 15 shots during the incident.
“While the efforts were underway, he began firing a weapon,” Schierbaum stated. “We believe he fired at least three different weapons; handguns, shotguns and rifles, that fired through the walls.”
Fox News reported that multiple charges are expected to be brought against the 70-year-old suspect, including reckless endangerment and aggravated assault.
A video of Tuesday’s standoff shows law enforcement officers surrounding the hotel while multiple shots were fired by Berger.
A second video shows Berger throwing multiple items off a hotel balcony before firing several shots.
