70-year-old suspect in custody after police storm Atlanta’s Four Seasons Hotel and shootout

After that, the suspect was taken into custody shots rang out near the Four Seasons Hotel in the village Atlantaprompting parts of Atlanta to hide in place.

Jay Stevens Berger, 70, was arrested after police were dispatched to his room in the residential part of the building for what was described as a mental health emergency, Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said Tuesday afternoon. It is now being investigated as aggravated assault.

Berger, while armed with a handgun, was allegedly involved in an altercation with a Four Seasons employee, prompting police to respond to the scene.

When Berger refused to leave his 33rd-floor room, police began negotiating with him to “get out peacefully,” Schierbaum said. At one point, the suspect began firing at least three weapons, including a handgun and a rifle, through the walls and door of the apartment and from the balcony. He also threw knives, police said.

One weapon was thrown from the balcony, the police chief confirmed.

Two officers fired during the exchange; one such occasion was to “terminate the threat” so that no weapons could be fired from the balcony, he said.

A SWAT team eventually broke down the door and Berger was taken into custody. Both the suspect and the police officer were taken to the hospital.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said the suspect was wearing a mask, so they didn’t know what was on the other side of his door, such as chemical irritants.

Although a shelter-in-place order has been lifted, authorities have urged people to avoid the area during the investigation.

The Atlanta Police Department warned that an hour earlier, people near the posh hotel had been instructed to “avoid any windows or rooms facing the grounds.” The surrounding roads are also closed, authorities said. “As a precaution, units have established a perimeter to safely investigate the case.”

The Independent contacted Atlanta police for more information.