ATLANTA — The armed man who barricaded himself inside of a home with five children in southwest Atlanta early Monday morning has released them and is now in custody, according to Atlanta Police.
Atlanta Police released a tweet saying that all of the kids were safe, however negotiations with the man continued for about 25 minutes after they were released.
Officers eventually arrested 33-year-old Courtney Chones.
The standoff ended about four hours after it began but police say it started when the mother of the children called 911 after she said one of their fathers fired a shot into the air during an argument.
Atlanta police responded to the home off Venetian Dr. and Graymont Dr. just after 2:00 a.m. As they spoke with the woman outside of the home, police said the man "barricaded himself inside of the location along with multiple children."
The 30-year-old mother was outside of the home, but the five children, ranging from 3 to 10-years-old remained inside for hours.
11Alive spoke with a neighbor who said the man is a really good man and father and he is shocked that this is happening.
"He is a really nice guy --that's all that I know. I mean they're great people, so to hear that is news to me," the neighbor said.
