12-Hour SWAT Standoff Ends With Tear Gas

NORCROSS, GA — A 12-hour-long SWAT standoff at a Gwinnett County hotel on Wednesday ended around midnight when officers sprayed tear gas into a room where a patron had refused to leave.

The incident happened at the Araamda Inn, at 5985 Oakbrook Pkwy. near Norcross. According to police, Marvin Fernandez, 39, was being asked to leave the hotel and said he was going back to his room to gather his belongings.

Once he entered the room, though, he locked himself inside and reportedly claimed to have a weapon. (SIGN UP: Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

Police spokeswoman Cpl. Michele Pihera said there was no confirmation Fernandez was actually armed. But, out of an abundance of caution, a SWAT team was called in and the standoff began.

Roughly 12 hours later, at around midnight, the standoff ended when Fernandez was arrested. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that officers fired tear gas into his room.

Fernandez was charged with theft of services and criminal trespass, Pihera said. No one was injured in the incident.

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