ATLANTA — A home invasion escalated into a SWAT standoff in a busy Northeast Atlanta subdivision Friday evening.
Police said a man broke into a home with a gun and refused to come out for hours.
A team had to break down the front door of the home to arrest him.
Investigators later confirmed the suspect as 31-year-old Bryan Newcomb.
As soon as the standoff was over, crime scene investigators swooped in to gather evidence and document damage done to the home.
From the street, you could see what looked like blue spray paint graffiti on the walls.
The homeowner was not ready to talk publicly but said the man has broken into his home several times since Hurricane Helene flooding forced him and his family out.
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“It’s nerve-racking,” neighbor Atkins Roberts said. “He’s been holding a machete, holding a gun, holding a shotgun.”
Tracy Thompson founded The Elizabeth Foundation. She works to provide resources and housing to those without homes in this area near Cheshire Bridge Rd.,
She said she is familiar with this man.
“He had a gun on him, but the streets told me that it was a pellet gun,” Thompson said.
The homeowner said he usually leaves when demanded to get out, until now. That, plus a weapon, led to an hours-long standoff and ended with him in handcuffs, on his way to jail.
“We definitely need more help out here,” Thompson said.
She said Friday’s standoff is proof of that. However, she said the city’s focus is on those living on downtown streets right now.
“In the meantime, we continue to put band aids on it and look for the community to help support us,” Thompson said.
The homeowner said he needs help now, too. He has damage from the SWAT standoff to repair on top of hurricane damage.
Neighbors hope city leaders take note.
“It’s not something I would like in my neighborhood for sure,” Roberts said.
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