Accused cop killer's surrender aided by former Bulldog

The accused killer of an Athens police officer surrendered on live television late Friday night, is being housed in the Hall County jail, officials said Saturday.

Jamie Hood, 33, surrendered at about 11:20 p.m., emerging from a home in the middle of a line of people he held hostage for much of Friday afternoon and evening.

Hood had told police officials he would come out on live TV to ensure he would not be harmed by authorities after a four-day manhunt following the killing of an Athens-Clarke County police officer Tuesday.

Law enforcement officials said a former UGA football player, Bryant Gantt, was instrumental in negotiating the safe release of the hostages.

According to the UGA media guide,  Gantt was a two-year letterman on the football team (1989-90), the first two seasons after the retirement of legendary coach Vince Dooley. Gantt, according to a story posted on wsbtv.com, reached out to Hood on his Facebook page.

After Hood and the hostages walked out they were all put on the ground and searched by law enforcement officials. The hostages were quickly released and heavily armed FBI and GBI authorities were shown surrounding Hood. Other armed officials were shown entering the apartment.

FBI authorities escorted Hood, shirtless and in handcuffs, to a police car. He stood outside the vehicle talking with authorities for several minutes.

Hood was shown arguing with law enforcement because his handcuffs were too tight.

“They’re hurtin’ me, man, they’re hurtin’ me man … they aren’t turning. They aren’t turning,” he said.

Vernon Keenan, GBI director, had  publicly promised Hood, who has been holed up in an Athens apartment complex since Friday afternoon, that he wouldn't be hurt as long as he came out without any weapons.

"The hostages are safe, and Hood is in custody," Keenan said during a televised news conference around 11:50 p.m. Keenan said authorities are still trying to piece together how Hood ended up in the apartment, taking hostages Friday afternoon.

Keenan said Hood agreed to negotiate with authorities after watching the heavy news media coverage.

"He was convinced that he was going to be killed by law enforcement if he attempted to surrender," Keenan said.

Keenan said authorities believed that Hood had been using cocaine Friday afternoon and that he was armed.

Jamie Hood was watching the media attention on the manhunt.

He knew that he could not escape, so he was cutting his best deal, and that’s what was to our satisfaction for this to end peacefully, and now he will be in the custody of the courts of this county, and he will face prosecution," Keenan said.

The FBI took over negotiating with Hood as the night went on.

"The general sense was that we wanted to get the hostages out safe and sound and get Hood into custody without any harm to him," said Rick Maxwell, FBI special agent in charge.

Keenan confirmed that Hood released four of his eight hostages around 9 p.m. The remainder walked out of the apartment with him at 11:20 p.m.

"He is having communications with law enforcement; we have a good rapport with him," Keenan said at an earlier televised news conference. "I know that he is concerned with his personal safety, and I want to promise him that if he will surrender unarmed, that he will not be harmed in any form or fashion."

Keenan said at a televised news conference around 8 p.m. that Hood had eight hostages in what he described as "a very tense situation."

Hood was holding the hostages at the Creekstone Duplexes, a cluster of apartments north of downtown Athens. It's several miles from where the search has been concentrated since Tuesday's killing of Athens-Clarke County Police Officer Elmer "Buddy" Christian. Police also accused Hood of shooting officer Tony Howard twice. He survived and has been recuperating from wounds to his face and upper body.

Athens-Clarke Police Chief Joseph Lumpkin said having Hood in custody "relieves a lot of tension in the police department and in law enforcement."

"We can start to bring some closure to this horrific period. We have to bury our officer Sunday. We have to provide for the families of two kids. We have to do a lot of things. But this starts the process," Lumpkin said.

Hood’s family members told WSB Radio and other reporters that he would turn himself in, but he just wants to see his mother first. Hood called his mother, Azalee Hood, around 2 p.m. asking to see her. He then called the police, according to his sister, Jennifer Hood, who spoke with reporters Friday night.

"He called her and told her that he was going to surrender, and he called the police to talk to somebody," his sister, Jennifer Hood said. "When she got in the car, they went to the police station."

“That’s all we want is for them to take his mother to him," she said.

Brandy Johnson, Hood’s sister-in-law, said he also wants to get his brother, Matthew, out of jail.

Matthew Hood was driving the red SUV Tuesday in which Jamie Hood was riding when police stopped them. Matthew Hood was arrested and taken to the Clarke County Jail and remains there on a probation violation.

"He wants to come in alive because he wants to free his brother," Johnson said.

Another brother, Timothy Hood, 22, was shot and killed by an Athens-Clarke police officer on Nov. 6, 2001, after he allegedly held a gun to the officer's head,  according to the Athens Banner-Herald.

Hood's father, Robert, told 11 Alive News, that "God says you're gonna reap what you sow. ... So if [Jamie] did it, he's gotta reap. I believe in God."