A SUSPECT has been arrested after shooting an officer in a wild spray of bullets fired from a luxury Atlanta hotel's balcony and sparking a tense standoff with snipers and SWAT teams, police said. J Stevens Berger, 70, opened fire with at least three weapons at the Four Seasons in the city's dense Midtown neighborhood and barricaded himself in a room before his arrest on Tuesday afternoon, cops say. The gun horror started at 10 am when cops got calls of a mental health emergency happening in an area outside the hotel.
Once they responded, they found Berger fighting with a Four Seasons employee and saw he had a gun. They tried to negotiate with him and convince him to leave, but he refused and dashed up to the 33rd floor, Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum told reporters. Cops learned Berger had access to multiple weapons and called SWAT teams for support at about 2 pm before Berger wildly fired off shots with three guns - a handgun, rifle, and a shotgun.
read more in news One officer was struck in the barrage of shots and left with non-life-threatening injuries, and at least two other cops fired rounds in the gun horror. Cops believe at least 15 rounds rang out before Berger was arrested around 4:30 pm. Berger was seen strapped to a gurney with blood covering his face in streetside video taken by CBS affiliate WSB-TV .
Schierbaum confirmed that he was hurt but believes he will recover from the injuries. Most read in The US Sun Horrified onlookers took videos of the barrage.
