Gunman fired 19 shots at officers in hotel standoff

Surrender came after negotiations, gas, beanbag shots.

An armed man was taken into custody Tuesday afternoon after he fired 19 shots at officers during a standoff at a Clayton County hotel, police said.

The man, who was not identified, surrendered to officers at the Southside Inn in the 6000 block of Old Dixie Highway about 2 p.m. after police fired gas into his second-floor room, police Chief Joseph Woodall said.

Officers also used a Taser on the man, who didn’t follow verbal commands after he left the room, police said.

“We managed to take him into custody without firing any shots at him,” Woodall said.

No officers were hit by the gunshots, Woodall said. Shots hit a robot and a police cruiser.

No one was in the room with the man, who had two guns in the room and another one in his car, police said. One of the guns was reported stolen.

The standoff began about 9:20 a.m. when an officer doing surveillance at the hotel saw a car with a Texas license plate, Woodall said. A license check showed the car was stolen.

Officers then began negotiating with the man by phone to leave his room, and he refused, according to police. At one point, police fired beanbags at the room’s window to get the man to surrender.

The man will face charges that include firing at officers, possessing a stolen gun and possessing a stolen car, Woodall said.

Several people staying at the hotel were evacuated during the standoff.