MARIETTA, Ga. (AP) – An hourslong standoff inside a suburban Atlanta bank ended when an officer shot and killed a man who had claimed to have a bomb that could “take out the room.”
Cobb County police Sgt. Dana Pierce confirmed the man died in an “officer involved shooting.” Pierce said a police bomb squad had rendered safe a backpack in which the suspect claimed to have a bomb. Police were still analyzing the contents to determine if he actually had explosives, he said.
Two people were freed shortly after a military-type vehicle smashed its way through the wall, raining bricks onto its hood. However, it’s not clear if they escaped through the wall opening.
Several heavily armed police officers had converged on the bank earlier in the day.
Police had said the man inside the bank branch near Marietta had made threats and was inside with an unknown number of employees.