A 73-year-old man was in police custody Tuesday night after he allegedly fired gunshots and barricaded himself in a southwest Atlanta apartment.

Richard Shields was arrested after allegedly firing shots at a neighbor and then holding off a police SWAT team for several hours, police said. He was charged with aggravated assault.

The incident began at 8:30 a.m. when police received a report of gunshots at the Wildwood Apartments complex in the 400 block of Fairburn Road S.W., Atlanta police spokeswoman Kim Jones said.

The suspect fired a gun at a man taking his garbage to a trash receptacle and then at a building before retreating to an apartment, Jones said.

Police knocked on the apartment door, but the suspect did not answer.

SWAT personnel surrounded the building and attempted to negotiate with the man, but he did not respond. After an arrest warrant was issued, SWAT members fired tear gas into the apartment and found the suspect inside.

No injuries were reported.