Some anxious moments for law enforcement in Demorest as officers responded to a call about a possible hostage situation and shooting.
A post to the Demorest Police Department’s Facebook page says officers were dispatched to the Express Mart (on Central Avenue) in Demorest at approximately 7:30 p.m. Thursday.
“Within minutes officers arrived on scene and detained a male subject. After our initial investigation it was determined that he was being transported to the hospital by a member of his family for a mental evaluation. As they were passing the Express Mart he jumped from the moving vehicle and entered the store while locking the door behind him,” the post states.
The male subject told the cashier that several members of his family had been shot at his residence in Banks County. Demorest Police coordinated with the Banks County Sheriff’s Office which immediately sent deputies to the residence where they found that the man’s family was unharmed.
Demorest Police Chief Robin Krockum was quick to notify the public of the incident through social media in an attempt to quell rumors. He tells Now Habersham, “We just want to make sure that the public is aware of what really happened. There’s no need to be alarmed.”
Chief Krockum confirms the 50-year old man is from Banks County and was being driven to the hospital by his brother-in-law at the time of the incident. And while it turns out that the subject was experiencing “hallucinations” according to family, there was no way the convenience store personnel could have known that at the time.
“It wasn’t a false report because the guy came in and locked the door behind him so they felt threatened at the time,” he says. “He (the male subject) thought that whoever killed his family was coming after him.” Krockum says the man was bloody from jumping out of a moving vehicle so that added to their alarm when he claimed there had been a shooting.
The Chief praises the quick response of his officers and county deputies, some of whom had just left the E-911 Children’s Fun Fest at the county fairgrounds when they got the call. He’s appreciative to Banks County, too, for their cooperation and help. “They were right on top of it,” Krockum says.
Demorest Police transported the subject to Habersham County Medical Center for a mental evaluation.
(file photo/Google)
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Original article: Demorest Police Chief: “No need to be alarmed”.
