CRISP COUNTY, Ga. — In exclusive interviews with Channel 2 Action News, the sheriff and state trooper who engineered the capture of mass murder suspect Robert Aaron Long last week detail how they set a trap he drove into.
Both men told Channel 2′s investigative reporter Mark Winne that they rushed the car, guns drawn.
Crisp County Sheriff Billy Hancock said the danger was underscored when an officer pulled a fully loaded clip from Long’s pocket, and after it was all over, authorities discovered the gun, the suspected murder weapon, was on the front seat close to where Long had been moments before.
“You’re thinking about this suspect that’s taken the life of eight people, so you know he has no regard for life,” Hancock said.
“Did you already know that if this guy made any wrong move, you’d be firing your gun?” Winne asked Hancock.
“Yes, sir. You had to be prepared to take a life at that moment,” Hancock said.
“I was scared for my troopers and the deputies that were on scene. But you kept moving forward,” Georgia State Patrol Cpl. Allen Parker said.
Hankcock said they moved as soon as they got the call from Cherokee County Sheriff Frank Reynolds.
RELATED STORIES
- 8 killed, 1 injured in shootings at 3 spas in metro Atlanta; suspect in custody
- Georgia spa shootings: Suspect confesses, claims he was not racially motivated, sheriff says
- Names released for victims in deadly Cherokee County spa shooting
“He began to tell me that they were following electronically a murder suspect down I-75,” Hancock said. “Whatever was going to happen, was going to happen here in Crisp County.”
Hancock said he deployed deputies on ramps to keep civilians out of harm’s way and on overpasses to keep lookout.
He told Winne that he also coordinated with Georgia State Patrol units to take strategic positions, keeping Sheriff Reynolds looped in to give him Long’s latest whereabouts.
He said GSP decided to use the pit maneuver before Long hit the county line, executing a strategic tap on Long’s bumper to cause his small SUV to spin out.
“We didn’t want a chase progressing down the interstate,” Hancock said.
Winne also obtained also obtained emergency responder recording from that night. Parker and Hancock walked him through how the stop unfolded:
Radio Audio: “Alright, he’s been pitted. We’re stopped at the interstate.”
Parker: “I drew my weapon and began giving loud verbal commands to Long.”
Hancock: “Four officers walking with guns drawn.”
Radio Audio: “Alright, watch your crossfire.”
Hancock: “He sits there 30, 45 seconds, no more than 45 seconds. Then he finally starts obeying the corporal’s commands,”
Parker: “I holstered my weapon, went in and was able to handcuff Long. There was a sense of relief that we had him in custody and nobody else would be harmed.”
Hancock: “He’s very quiet. He’s very subdued. We purposely did not ask him any questions but as he’s getting out of the car, one of the body cams captured him saying, ‘Will I be here the rest of my life?’ or something to that effect.”
Hancock told Winne there were tense moments when Long was on the pavement and hesitated to spread his arms from his side. They didn’t know yet where the gun was, but he eventually complied.
Winne contacted Long’s newly appointed attorney, J. Daran Burns, for Long’s side of the story. He sent him a statement, saying:
“We are working on behalf of our client, Robert Aaron Long, to investigate the facts and circumstances surrounding this incident.”
Cox Media Group
