ATLANTA - A homicide suspect who spent 56 hours perched on an 18-story construction crane was in custody early Saturday after police climbed the structure and arrested him, authorities said.
“Apparently, he was thirsty,” police spokesman Sgt. John Quigley said.
The man, identified as Carl Edward Roland, got onto the crane around 5 p.m. (2100 GMT) Wednesday and told police he was thinking of killing himself by jumping, Quigley said.
Shortly after the arrest, police were still trying to determine how to get Roland down. “I’m not sure if he’s coming willingly or if we have to strap him to something,” Quigley said.
Roland, 41, who was on the crane without food, will be examined by a doctor before being released to authorities in Pinellas County, Florida. He is wanted there in the death of ex-girlfriend Jennifer L. Gonzalez, 36, whose body found Tuesday.
An arrest warrant affidavit accuses Roland of strangling Gonzalez and dumping her body in a pond behind the apartment complex where she lived.
Two days earlier, Roland told acquaintances he believed Gonzalez was cheating on him and asked them if they could get him a firearm so he could kill her, according to the affidavit.
Since March, the Clearwater, Fla., resident had quit his job as a software salesman and filed for bankruptcy. Roland said he owed US$10,500 in federal taxes and more than US$13,000 on credit cards, court records show.
The standoff was high above Atlanta’s busy Buckhead neighborhood, an area filled with clubs and restaurants. Lunch and dinner crowds, taking advantage of summer-like weather, have packed restaurant patios with clear views of the standoff.
Authorities closed some streets under the crane, including Peachtree Road, one of the city’s main thoroughfares. The closure led to traffic delays throughout the area.
Vernard Swindle, 29, laid off from his job stocking groceries, took a bus from his home three miles away Friday to see what was going on.
“I’m wondering what’s going on in his head to stay up there more than 36 hours with no food or water,” Swindle said.