Atlanta officials provide update on luxury hotel barricade, shooting incident

Armed man barricaded in downtown Atlanta luxury hotel room

Atlanta police and SWAT team members responded to a report of an armed man barricaded inside a luxury hotel room in downtown Atlanta on Wednesday afternoon.

The incident began around 1:30 p.m. when police received a call about a man with a gun inside the Twelve Centennial Park Hotel, located at 330 Centennial Olympic Park Drive.

Police said the man was armed with a rifle and had fired several rounds inside the hotel room. No one was injured in the shooting.

Negotiators attempting to make contact

Police evacuated guests from the hotel and established a perimeter around the area.

SWAT team members were called to the scene and began negotiating with the man. Police said the man was not cooperating with negotiators and had not made any demands.

The standoff continued for several hours as police attempted to make contact with the man.

Nearby Centennial Park evacuated, shelter-in-place lifted

As a precaution, police evacuated Centennial Olympic Park, which is located across the street from the hotel.

Police also issued a shelter-in-place order for residents and businesses in the area.

The shelter-in-place order was lifted around 6:30 p.m. after police determined that there was no longer a threat to the public.

Suspect identified, previously arrested for domestic violence

Police identified the suspect as 29-year-old Demarcus Thomas.

Thomas was previously arrested in 2020 for domestic violence.

Police said Thomas has a history of mental illness.

Investigation ongoing

The investigation into the incident is ongoing.

Police said they are still trying to determine what led to the standoff.

The hotel has been reopened and guests are being allowed to return.