By SORAYA NADIA McDONALD
Associated Press Writer
ATLANTA - A suicidal man wanted in the death of his ex-girlfriend climbed an 18-story crane at a construction site and remained perched high above a bustling neighborhood Thursday as authorities desperately tried to talk him down.
The man got onto the crane around 5 p.m. Wednesday and was about 160 feet above the ground, telling police negotiators he was thinking of killing himself by jumping.
He spent most of Thursday sitting on a metal grate on the crane’s arm, and tried to stand at one point but his legs were shaking so badly he quickly sat down again. At another point, he appeared to be sleeping. He inched away from officers when they tried to get closer to him.
The drama unfolded in Atlanta’s trendy Buckhead neighborhood in clear view of lunch crowds who packed restaurant patios on a sunny spring afternoon. Authorities closed the busy intersection where the crane is located, disrupting traffic in the neighborhood.
The man was identified as Carl Edward Roland, 41, who was wanted by the Pinellas County, Fla., sheriff’s department in the slaying of his former girlfriend, said Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington. The body of Jennifer L. Gonzalez, 36, was found Tuesday in a pond behind the apartment complex where she lived.
Police said they were hoping to find one of Roland’s relatives, believed to be living in the Atlanta area, to assist in their effort to talk the man down. Roland is talking to negotiators but has refused food and water, Pennington said.
The fire department had set up large air bags on the roof of the building being constructed below the crane.
Atlanta police spokesman Sgt. John Quigley was not sure how the man got onto the crane, saying it was possible the construction crew had left for the day