The GBI is investigating after a man accused of assaulting a woman and prompting a SWAT standoff died in custody.
On Sunday afternoon, Grady County 911 received a call about a man having trouble breathing near a home off Beth Page Road, the GBI said in a news release. However, deputies and first responders arrived to find a woman who was bleeding from a head wound.
Deputies believed the woman was assaulted by a man, who barricaded himself inside a nearby home, the GBI said. The SWAT team from neighboring Thomas County was called to the scene to attempt to remove the man from the house.
The man refused to communicate with the SWAT team, leading to tear gas being deployed inside the home, the release said. The attempt was unsuccessful, because the man threw the gas canister back outside of the home toward the SWAT team, the GBI said.
Authorities tried “several less lethal weapons” in an attempt to get the man out of the home, the release said. No further detail was provided on the methods used, but the man was eventually handcuffed and removed from the building.
While being taken into custody, the man “continued to physically resist arrest,” the release said. At some point, SWAT members noticed the man “became unresponsive” and tried to render first aid at the scene.
The man was pronounced dead outside the home. His identity has not been released, pending notification of his family, the GBI said.
The sheriff of Grady County, which is located along Georgia’s southern border with Florida, called the GBI to open a use-of-force investigation about 5:40 p.m. The GBI will also conduct the man’s autopsy later this week.
No other information on the incident has been released. Anyone with information is asked to contact the GBI at 229-225-4090.
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