DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A man involved in a SWAT standoff in DeKalb County on Wednesday has had a long criminal history, and his family says they’ve done all they can to help him.
Tobias Starks was arrested early Thursday morning after barricading himself inside his mother’s home for hours on Wednesday night.
Channel 2’s Michael Doudna spoke with one of Tobias Starks’ eight older brothers, who said he’s just been getting worse.
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“Every time he’s on parole, something of this, something like this happens,” Veshi Starks said. “But to this magnitude that happened last night, this was...the worst.”
Channel 2 Action News found court records for more than a dozen convictions dating back to 2000 from armed robbery to assault and more.
Veshi Starks says his family has tried to help, but his youngest brother refuses to change.
“You see the same behavior repeat itself. You don’t see it getting better,” he said.
He says that after Tobias Starks was released on parole last time, he threatened to kill his mother, forcing her to flee her own home.
“My mom’s 85. I just hope that her final days are peaceful, and the last two months, they haven’t been. You know, going from house to house...you can’t sleep in your own home,” Veshi Starks described.
He says he does not believe that his brother will change and that society is better with him behind bars.
“I hate to say it, but I mean, that’s the reality of it,” Veshi Starks said.
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