Road reopens after Cobb bank standoff

The Windy Hill Road exit on I-75 northbound was closed for hours due to the investigation. BEN BRASCH / BEN.BRASCH@AJC.COM

The Windy Hill Road exit on I-75 northbound was closed for hours due to the investigation. BEN BRASCH / BEN.BRASCH@AJC.COM

Windy Hill Road has reopened after the police investigation of a bank standoff at a Cobb County Wells Fargo brought lunch-hour traffic to a crawl.

The road was blocked earlier from I-75 to North Park Place, causing heavy delays on busy Cobb Parkway, according to the Cobb County Department of Transportation.

Marietta police and Cobb officials warned drivers to avoid the area.

I-75 southbound traffic was heavy for hours back to Chastain Road, as armed officers blocked the exit ramp at Windy Hill.

The situation also affected traffic on I-285, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation.

About 9:30 a.m., police said suspect Brian Easley walked into the bank, claimed to have a bomb and held two employees hostage. The employees were released just after noon.

The standoff continued for roughly two hours before a robot found the suspect dead inside the bank, sources told Channel 2 Action News.

No injuries were reported.

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