An hours-long standoff with SWAT in Winder came to an end when 50-year-old Patrick Ramon Cole surrendered in the early hours of Saturday morning. The situation started on Friday night when Cole allegedly became involved in a heated argument with his wife, preventing her from using the phone to call for assistance and threatening that he would not go down without a fight if police were to show up. Once law enforcement was alerted and arrived on the scene, Cole refused to leave his house, leading Winder police to call in the Barrow County Sheriff's Office SWAT team, as reported by FOX 5 Atlanta.
Throughout the night, Cole remained barricaded inside his Alberta Lane home. According to the Winder Police Department, he was observed holding a pistol and shouting for officers to depart. The tension-filled standoff managed to last approximately seven hours. According to Winder Police Chief Jim Fullington, the efforts of the Sheriff's Office were crucial in reaching a safe conclusion to the event. "I would like to express my appreciation to the Barrow County Sheriff's Office SWAT team and other deputies for their response and committed and determined efforts throughout the night to help bring this dangerous incident to the best possible conclusion for all persons to be safe" Fullington stated, as quoted in a statement obtained by Atlanta News First.
The standoff began around 10 p.m. on Friday, June 7, eventually leading to Cole's surrender at 5:30 a.m. the following morning. Warrants for his arrest and a search of his home had been issued prior to his surrender, with charges including aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, felony obstruction of a law enforcement officer, simple battery family violence, simple assault family violence, and criminal damage to property in the second degree. After surrendering, Cole was taken into custody and is currently being held at the Barrow County Detention Center.
