Cobb County

Tense I-75 standoff started with attempted robbery at Walmart, police say

By Tyisha Fernandes, WSB-TV
By Tyisha Fernandes, WSB-TV

COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Police say a man who ended up in a tense standoff with police on I-75 first attempted to rob a Marietta Walmart.

Channel 2's Tyisha Fernandes was in Cobb County, where several squad cars were at the Walmart at 210 Cobb Parkway Friday afternoon.

Police said the suspect, who has not been identified, walked up to  customer service counter around 8:30 a.m. and pointed a gun in an employee's face.

Someone called 911, but when officers arrived, the suspect was already gone.

Officers responding to the report of the robbery spotted the man's car and tried to stop him. He led them on a chase that ended up on I-75 South, where the driver pulled over and refused to leave his car, police said.

He was taken into custody after a tense, hourslong standoff with police.

[RELATED: Armed robbery suspect taken into custody after dramatic I-75 standoff]

Fernandes spoke with Walmart customers, who were shaken that this could happen in their quiet neighborhood.

"I think that's crazy, because why would you try to rob this Walmart in broad daylight, with hundreds of people out here?" Basir Jones said.

Kita Martin said she usually cashes her check at this Walmart, but since she tried to do it while investigators were still in the store, she wasn't able to get her money.

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"I'm sure it was because of the incident," Martin said. She said she was shocked it happened at all. "This community is very quiet. Stuff like this doesn’t happen often here."

[PHOTOS: Police surround armed driver on I-75 standoff in Cobb County]

Police say no one was hurt at the Walmart, but that didn't ease customers' minds.

"It's kind of ironic because there are usually cops outside of Walmart ... to make sure things like this don't take place," Jones said.

Jones wondered why an officer wasn't at the store Friday when an officer was needed.

Cox Media Group

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