The city of Atlanta witnessed an odd firing incident on Tuesday afternoon. The incident took place at the Four Season Hotel in Midtown, where multiple shots were fired by a 70-year-old man identified as Steven Berger. According to the police, the suspect was suffering from a mental health crisis.
The Atlanta police officers allegedly responded to a call on Tuesday morning about a mental health emergency. In a press conference, the Chief of Police of the city, Darin Schierbaum, revealed that Berger was staying in the residential section of the hotel. The officers reported that a man was involved in an altercation with a hotel employee.
Schierbaum also revealed that when the officers tried to get the man to come to his room's door, he opened fire. Berger allegedly had three types of guns: a handgun, a rifle, and a shotgun. Moreover, he also had knives and threw one of the weapons off the balcony.
However, eventually, the firing stopped, and the suspect raised his hands in surrender. A SWAT team took him into custody. Allegedly, Berger has not spoken to the police.
Atlanta Police took immediate action for public safety. They advised the public to shelter in place within the hotel's site.
"Please shelter in place or stay out the area! Citizens within site of the Four Seasons Hotel are advised to avoid any windows and rooms facing the area."
The shelter in place was lifted but the police asked the citizens to stay away from the hotel area. Moreover, several streets were closed as the police continued with the investigation.
Witnesses share their experience of shooting in Atlanta.
According to FOX 5 Atlanta, several witnesses shared their accounts of the incident. One of them even called the incident similar to the video game Grand Theft Auto.
A witness said,
"We heard ten shots. We walked outside, got everything on camera – the man throwing couches, shooting – Very chaotic, very random. This is Atlanta. This is not a real place."
Another witness revealed how the police came into action when the shooting was still going on. The witness alleged that as the public looked up to catch a glimpse of the shooter, he started firing again. The people at the hotel's site then "ducked" behind and watched him.
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"It was like we were in the middle of a movie," claimed the witness.
About 15 shots were fired by the 70-year-old during the incident, according to the police. The authorities are investigating the alleged altercation that instigated the shootout.
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