Villa Rica standoff ends peacefully
A 14-hour Villa Rica standoff ended quietly Saturday night after 42-year-old Donnie Wright surrendered peacefully to police.
Wright had barricaded himself inside his Carroll County home after a domestic dispute.
According to police, the situation began at about 3:30 a.m. Saturday when Wright’s girlfriend called 911 to report a case of domestic abuse. The woman said Wright choked her and fired a handgun before allowing her to leave the home.
Channel 2 Action News reported that when the police came to the house, Wright refused to leave.
SWAT officers with Carroll and Douglas counties blocked several streets at the Reid Plantation subdivision in Villa Rica as officers worked to get the Wright to surrender.
After over four hours of failed negotiations, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Special Response team used a robot inside the home to locate and establish communication with Wright. Wright fired the handgun at the robot twice, disabling it.
Police also lobbed tear gas into the home, located at the back of a cul-de-sac, but was unable to flush out Wright.
After nearly 14 hours, Wright finally surrendered to authorities. He was charged with simple battery, aggravated assault, reckless conduct and damage to government property.
No one was injured in the incident.
About the Author
Ernie Suggs is an enterprise reporter covering race and culture for the AJC since 1997. A 1990 graduate of N.C. Central University and a 2009 Harvard University Nieman Fellow, he is also the former vice president of the National Association of Black Journalists. His obsession with Prince, Spike Lee movies, Hamilton and the New York Yankees is odd.
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