CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. — Law enforcement responded to a barricaded man in the Owl Creek Landing subdivision off Kellogg Creek Road in Cherokee County on Thursday afternoon.
The Cherokee County Sheriff's Office said it got a call at 3:20 p.m. from a resident concerned about his son, who was inside and noticed the windows in front of the home had been shot with a firearm inside the residence.
When law enforcement arrived on the scene, it was confirmed that there were some gunshots from inside the home, and they tried to establish contact with the man inside. However, the authorities said he would not come to the door.
So, because of the shots fired, the sheriff's office contacted the hostage negotiation and SWAT team, who also went to the scene. Law enforcement was at the location trying to communicate with the man for several hours with a bullhorn. The sheriff's office said they saw him inside, and he had a rifle and fired more rounds when they were there.
After trying to communicate with him with no luck, law enforcement introduced "less lethal gas munitions" into the house several times, but it did not work. They also used a robot, but that failed.
Law enforcement said they believed at some point, the man covered up a gas canister with some type of bedding, and it caught on fire. The fire then quickly spread throughout the home.
At that point, they rushed into the home and pulled the man out. The fire department then got on the scene and put the fire out as well.
The 36-year-old man is now in custody. No one was shot, but both the suspect and two SWAT members sustained minor injuries during the incident. In a Friday update, deputies said the suspect was still in the hospital. More details about his charges will be given after he's booked into the jail.