A suspect has been taken into custody after reports of gunfire near the Four Seasons Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia.
Shortly before 3 p.m., the Atlanta Police Department warned those in the area to avoid the area around the hotel, explaining they had set up a perimeter to investigate. “Please shelter in place or stay out the area,” the department wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter). “Citizens within site(sic) of the Four Seasons Hotel are advised to avoid any windows and rooms facing the area.”
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Less than two hours later, Atlanta police released an update saying they had taken a suspect into custody.
Police Chief Darin Schierbaum has since revealed that Jay Stevens Berger, 70, was arrested after police were dispatched to his room in response to what was described as a mental health emergency. Now, however, the incident is being investigated as an aggravated assault.
Armed with a handgun, Berger had allegedly gotten into an altercation with a Four Seasons employee, drawing police to the hotel. Schierbaum then explained that the man refused to leave his room on the 33rd floor. Despite officers’ attempts to draw the suspect out “peacefully,” he opened fire.
According to responding officers, Berger threw knives and fired at least 3 different weapons, including a handgun and rifle, through the walls and door, as well as from the balcony.
Eventually, the altercation ended when the SWAT team broke down the door, taking Berger into custody. Both the suspect and a police officer were hospitalized.
