Tense Valdosta standoff ends peacefully

Published 1:00 pm Monday, May 4, 2020

VALDOSTA — A man was taken into custody Sunday night after a tense standoff with police following a report of gunshots, according to a police statement.

At 8:42 p.m., officers responded to the 2900 block of Fawnwood Circle after numerous people reported someone shooting a gun in the area, according to a Valdosta Police Department statement.

As soon as officers arrived, they saw a 25-year-old male armed with an assault rifle, a shotgun, and a handgun. The man shot several rounds from the rifle into the ground as he began to walk toward the officers, the statement said.

The man made several comments that he wanted officers to kill him. Officers began to talk with the male and tried to convince him to drop his weapons, according to the statement.

Throughout the hour-long standoff, the man dropped two weapons but kept the handgun while continuing to threaten to harm himself.

During this time, some officers on the scene prepared themselves with “less-lethal” force, police said.

One officer deployed a less-lethal weapon, which struck the subject, causing him to drop his weapon, according to the statement.

Other officers moved in quickly and took him into custody. South Georgia Medical Center EMTS took the subject to the hospital for a mental evaluation. No one was injured during the incident.

Detectives and crime scene personnel responded to process the scene and investigate the situation. The case is still under investigation and charges could be pending, the statement said. Police are not releasing the man’s name as he is receiving a medical evaluation.

“We are grateful for the quick response and assistance from the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office and Georgia State Patrol to help us contain the scene to ensure that no one was injured. I am extremely proud of the work of our responding officers, who remained calm during this extremely stressful situation, and handled it perfectly,” Police Chief Leslie Manahan said in a statement.

Terry Richards is senior reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times.