While on assignment in their news outlet’s company van, two Atlanta-based journalists were taken hostage by a homeless man claiming to have a gun.
The incident occurred just before 11 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 11, in the lot of the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office in Jonesboro, Georgia.
Atlanta News First journalists Asia Wilson and Lauren Swaim and photojournalist Lauren Swaim, both from Atlanta News First, were preparing to report live when the man approached, threatening to shoot if the two called for help.
Wilson discreetly texted her newsroom, alerting them to the harrowing situation and expressing her belief that a gun was involved. ANF anchor Allen Devlin described the texts as “terrifying, bone-chilling messages,” along the lines of, ” ‘We need help,’ ‘He’s gonna shoot.’ ”
The newsroom’s attempts to contact the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office were unsuccessful, prompting them to call 911. Emergency responders were dispatched.
Atlanta News First vice president/general manager Erik Schrader, along with two others, drove to the courthouse, more than 20 minutes from the station. En route, they managed to flag down a police cruiser. The officer quickly responded and sped to the scene, where the ANF crew was still with the suspect.
Sources from the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office reported that the homeless man approached Wilson and Swaim, claiming to have a gun and threatening to harm them if they called for help. The ordeal lasted for 90 minutes before law enforcement successfully de-escalated the crisis.
Police arrested Brandon R. Logan and charged him with terroristic threats, false imprisonment, public drunk, obstructing/hindering an emergency phone call, simple battery, simple assault, loitering, or prowling.
When authorities arrested Logan, they discovered he did not have a gun.
The next day, he went before a judge, who issued him a bond of $11,000, setting a preliminary date for him to defend himself in court on Wednesday, Jan. 24.
“The victims attempted to leave the property, but due to Brandon Logan’s threats and bodily movements, acting as if he had a weapon, the victims felt as if they were being held hostage,” said Judge Latrevia Kates-Johnson.
Schrader released a statement about the incident, stating that the outlet was “awaiting the police report.”
He told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “The biggest thing is they are home safe. They were able to use their phones and text some basic messages to our station. Our team was on the phone with several different agencies aware of what was going on. I’m glad we were able to get the situation resolved.”
The Jonesboro Police Department also released a statement about the hostage event, noting that their officers were alerted at 11:30 p.m., and within eight minutes, they “arrived on the scene.”
The Jonesboro officer went to the scene, but a man, who could’ve been the suspect, told the cop he didn’t call 911. The officer called back ANF at 11:42 a.m., and an ANF employee explained that two women were the ones in need of help. That’s when the ANF employees left for the scene before spotting a Clayton County police officer in the area, whom they alerted of the situation.
The Clayton County Sheriff’s Office has not released a statement regarding the incident.
“It was a strange situation,” Schrader continued. “We really want answers as to why it took so long to get them extricated. I’m hopeful in the coming days we can find out what led to that.”
