DeKalb County

Hourslong standoff over at Kroger; man who claimed to have bomb arrested, police say

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Authorities said they have arrested a man who caused a bomb scare for hours at a metro Atlanta Kroger.

The Kroger is located on Flat Shoals Road and Flakes Mill Road in DeKalb County.

[PHOTO GALLERY: Standoff at metro Atlanta Kroger]

A man sat by the propane tank area of the store, threatening to blow up a device he was holding, according to Hamilton Traylor, with the DeKalb County Police Department.

Officers on scene told Channel 2's Kristen Holloway they were treating it as a worst case scenario because they didn't know anything about the man who made the bomb threat.

The shopping center was evacuated and a bomb unit and SWAT were called scene to negotiate with the man.

A nearby elementary and middle school went into emergency mode.

"They told the teachers to lock the windows, close the blinds and lock the doors," said student Nina Henderson.

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NewsChopper 2 over the scene showed a large police presence at the store beginning around 6:30 a.m.

Despite all the commotion, police said there was no threat to the public.

But the ordeal caused more chaos for nearby businesses. Employees said they were held in the parking lot for hours, unable to open restaurants until two hours after police finished negotiating with the man.

"He's just a sick individual that needs some help," said Dorothy Duncan, a restaurant manager.

Kroger released a statement:

“The safety of our customers and associates is our utmost priority. We would like to thank the DeKalb County Police Department for their quick action in responding to this critical situation. We are thankful that no bomb was found and the suspect is now in custody.”