One of four people suspected of breaking into a Cobb County home was arrested after briefly holding a high school student hostage Thursday morning.
The incident began with multiple reports of a burglary at a home on Huntcrest Lane in Mableton, Sgt. Dana Pierce with Cobb County police told the AJC. A witness told officers a male and a female in a silver Toyota Scion left the home, throwing items out of the car along the way. Items such as briefcases and cell phones were later recovered.
Two other teenagers ran from the home, but were late caught and arrested, Pierce said.
Elijawah Miller, 19, of Marietta, ran to a nearby Rite Aid store, where he was arrested and charged with burglary, obstruction and criminal trespassing, Pierce said. Miller was booked into the Cobb County jail.
But the other teen, a 15-year-old boy, ran onto the South Cobb High School campus as classes were changing, police said.
The teen, who had recently enrolled at South Cobb, grabbed another student as a hostage, Pierce said. Officer Derrick Wilson, with campus police, ordered the teen to release the student, who was not injured.
Officers were forced to use pepper spray before handcuffing the suspect, who had a loaded .38 caliber gun in his pocket, Pierce said. Investigators later determined the gun had been stolen from Austell a few days earlier.
The teen, whose name was not released, was arrested and booked into the Cobb County Youth Detention Center. He faces numerous charges, including burglary, theft by receiving, possession of a weapon while committing a crime, possession a weapon on school grounds, obstruction and gang activity, Pierce said.
"Officer Wilson did an outstanding job of quickly defusing what could have been a very dangerous situation and safely apprehending the suspect," Jay Dillon, school district spokesman, told the AJC.
Investigators stopped several vehicles in the area, but were unable to track down the two people traveling in the Scion, Pierce said.
The investigation into the incident continues.
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