ATLANTA — The family of a man accused of causing a SWAT standoff at a funeral said it's all a misunderstanding.
The sister of Curtis Snow met with Channel 2's Audrey Washington right before his court appearance inside the Fulton County Jail.
She was at the funeral and wants to set the record straight about her brother.
"They are all lies being told. It's all over the news, all over everywhere," sister Rekita Snow said.
Snow didn't want a close-up of her face, but wanted to speak up for her brother, Curtis Snow.
"He was upset, it didn't do anything to cause the situation that happened afterwards," Rekita Snow said.
He's the man who was arrested during his grandfather's funeral, following a more than two-hour long SWAT standoff at The Higher Ground Empowerment Church in Northwest Atlanta.
"Curtis is not a violent person; he did not have any weapons at the funeral," Rekita Snow said.
Snow said her brother was grieving and used profanity during the funeral on Saturday.
Confirmed Curtis Snow @RealCurtisSnow from film 'Snow on tha Bluff' was suspect in SWAT standoff in church pic.twitter.com/xajkhjwuTW
— Steve Gehlbach (@SteveGWSB) May 8, 2016
She told Washington the commotion started when her 89-year-old grandmother told another woman that she was trying to calm down her grandson, Curtis.
Next, Rekita Snow said that woman got involved and things got out of hand.
"Someone from the inside called the police and told them Curtis had a gun," Rekita Snow said.
Atlanta police said Curtis Snow is known for his reality-style film about street life and drug dealing in the bluff. The video is on YouTube.
"I don't even know why that movie has been brought into this," Rekita Snow said. "'Snow in the Bluff' has nothing to do with him grieving his grandfather."
Police told Washington Curtis Snow had a warrant out for his arrest and that he barricaded himself inside the church's ladies' bathroom before he peacefully surrendered.
Police said they never found a gun.
He's now back in jail for a previous aggravated-assault charge.
Monday, Washington asked Snow why her brother did not walk out of the church earlier.
"What was behind that?" Washington asked.
"He had fell asleep," Rekita Snow said. "He didn't even know they were there."
No bond was set for Curtis Snow inside court.
Cox Media Group
