Standoff ends peacefully after man randomly shoots into the air

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A terrifying evening ended in a peaceful conclusion in DeKalb County Monday night after a standoff that lasted hours.

Just after 7 p.m. Monday, a man held police and negotiators at bay as he fired shots into the air and in the direction of a police SWAT team.

The man and two other people in the house on Clifton Church Road were taken into custody and questioned by police.

Neighbors reported hearing several shots every 10 minutes or so fired into the air in the neighborhood where Clifton Church Road intersects with Clifton Springs Road.

DeKalb County Police Capt. A.T. Mears said first responding officers heard gunshots but couldn't tell if they were being fired at them or just in the air.

The officers backed off and called for tactical units and negotiators as the man continued to fire random shots.

"Four or five shots at a time. Every 10 minutes, that's why I was, 'Is he up here doing this for real?" said Courtney Miller who describes himself as a friend of the suspect known on the street as Goonie.

Miller said his friend was acting strange earlier in the morning, but he never thought he would begin firing random shots.

As police responded, residents in about a 1/4-mile area were evacuated from their homes and several streets were blocked off.

"There were shots fired for several hours while the swat team tried to extricate someone from the house," Mears said.

Nearby, Ricardo Eubanks tried to find out information about his brother-in-law, whom he'd been told was the man firing the weapon.

"Never had any trouble with the law like this. I don't know what happened," Eubanks said.

"Go to jail but don't get hurt, but that's what would have happened. It would have led up to somebody getting hurt really bad," Miller said.

Despite all those rounds being fired, police said no one was injured.

The suspect and two other people were taken in for questioning by police. It is unclear if the others were aiding the man or potentially hostages.

WSBTV