STATESBORO, Ga. — A lawyer was taken hostage in his office near City Hall on Monday, and police cordoned off part of downtown as they tried to negotiate for the man's release.
The two suspects, a man and a woman, told police they were armed with a homemade explosive device, authorities said.
More than 11 hours into the standoff, police were still negotiating with the pair, said Trooper Larry Schnall, a spokesman for the Georgia State Patrol, which was sending a SWAT team to the scene.
A woman who answered the phone Monday at the office where the lawyer works said the office was closed and hung up.
Three people were initially taken hostage, but two were released unharmed, said Maggie Fitzgerald, a city spokeswoman. She said the remaining hostage had also not been harmed.
The suspects were "upset with some legal issues within the recent past and want to get those issues resolved," she said.
The man and woman said they were armed with an improvised explosive device, Fitzgerald said.
Statesboro, a city of 22,000 that is home to Georgia Southern University, is 225 miles southeast of Atlanta. The community's Martin Luther King Day parade, which was to pass by the county courthouse near the scene, was canceled because of the standoff.
3 comments:
This shit has been going on for almost 24 hours now. The AJC is reporting that shots were exchanged earlier this morning, but nobody is believed to be harmed.
I wish they would cancel classes.
This all happened about a block from my house. I did hear gunshots very early this morning. Statesboro kicks ass.
I thought the lawyer was going to turn out to be someone we knew. This story blows.
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