A standoff in Doraville ended last night after a woman, who had broken into a home and barricaded herself inside, was taken into custody by police. As reported by FOX 5 Atlanta, the incident started when police were alerted at approximately 11 a.m. to the presence of an unauthorized person at a residence on Bonnie Avenue.
The owner of the home, who was out of state in Texas at the time, reported to the authorities that he believed someone had entered his home, which led to an officer's dispatch and the subsequent discovery of the woman who then claimed she was armed and locked herself inside a room; a SWAT team was called in to manage the situation, during this ordeal the SWAT team was mobilized, and, a standoff ensued. While the woman's identity and the means of her entry into the home are still being investigated, she was arrested later that evening following hours of negotiation.
Pertaining to the woman's motives, and whether she was indeed carrying a firearm, remains unclear, as Atlanta News First notes that police have not confirmed if the woman was armed. The situation was further complicated by the woman's alleged threats of harm against the officers involved in the standoff, though no injuries were reported.
Specialized personnel were engaged, with a mental health professional partnering with the Doraville police attempting to persuade the woman out, Emily Heenan, a spokesperson for the City of Doraville, said, "We have a partnership with the City of Dunwoody to have a mental health professional that rides with our officers. He was out here earlier trying to work with the woman," also a crisis communications-certified officer communicated with the woman throughout the incident in an effort to defuse the situation which culminated in her arrest around 7:20 p.m. The woman will undergo a mental health evaluation before any charges are formally pressed regarding criminal trespassing and terroristic threats, according to Atlanta News First.
