A 911 confession, a breakdown and an hours-long standoff

An hours-long SWAT standoff in Gwinnett County started under unusual circumstances, police said.

Early Thursday, Obafemi Temitope Jaji called 911 and told a dispatcher he had a confession, Gwinnett police spokeswoman Cpl. Michele Pihera said. He said he robbed a gas station convenience store and wanted to talk with a negotiator.

Gwinnett police officers were dispatched about 12:30 a.m. to The Eclipse apartments in the 4100 block of Satellite Boulevard in unincorporated Duluth.

While in negotiations, Jaji shut down the conversation and barricaded himself inside his apartment, Pihera said. Police called SWAT officers about 3 a.m.

SWAT officers were deployed to a Gwinnett County apartment Thursday morning after a man barricaded himself inside one of the units. JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM

“We’ve been in constant negotiations with the suspect,” Pihera said. “We’ve had teams trying to make entry inside his home.”

The SWAT team used pepper spray to try to drive the man out of the home and a flash bang to breach the door, Pihera said.

“At one point, the suspect said that police would have to kill him to take him into custody,” Pihera said.

Jaji, 29, of Duluth, was ultimately arrested about 8:30 a.m.

“This is quite unusual,” Pihera said. “I don’t know of any other situation where a suspect calls the 911 center to confess to a crime, but we don’t know his psyche.”

Police said they have not determined the man’s motive in calling police.

Jaji faces one count of robbery by intimidation and one count of theft by taking. He was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.