SWAT teams get naked man off Midtown roof after hourslong standoff

ATLANTA — A nine-hour SWAT standoff involving a naked man on a roof came to an end without incident Friday afternoon after police finally got him down.

Channel 2's Tyisha Fernandes was at the scene, where officers brought the man down around 2:20 p.m. He has not been identified.

Police are working to figure out what made him climb onto the roof of a home on the 300 block of 4th Street in Midtown.

Early Friday morning, several residents called police to report that the man had broken into their homes, but didn't take anything.

Fernandes talked to Lucy and Eric Johnson, who said the man had clothes and shoes on when they confronted him in their home.

"He cut himself when he busted through our window," Lucy Johnson said.

“He smashed out the back window in the kitchen, entered the house and he was in the living room, we think, when my little dog here freaked out on the guy,” Eric Johnson said.

At some point, the man took off his clothes and perched precariously on an A-frame roof in the rain.

Negotiators in a bucket truck talked with the man for hours, offering him water and blankets, neighbors said.

Around 12 p.m., police put inflatables on the side of the home in case the man fell off.

"We did have the fire department come out and deploy air bags on the side of the house just in case something happened," an officer told Fernandes.

Channel 2 Action News had cameras rolling when officials finally got the man down, but neighbors were closer and sent us video of the takedown.

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Police are now working to find out what kind of help the man needs. They will first get the man a mental evaluation.

He's been charged with prowling, but may face more charges as police tally up how many houses he broke into.

Fernandes talked with Atlanta police Officer Jarius Daughterty about how they managed to get the man down without incident.

"We didn't want to rush him off the roof. We didn't want to risk him falling or anything like that," Daughterty said. "Great credit to our SWAT team and their patience."

Residents told Fernandes that they hope the man gets the help that he needs.

BACKGROUND:

Channel 2 Action News first began following the story early Friday morning around 5 a.m., and we were there when police took him into custody without incident around 2 p.m.

Earlier Friday, police blocked off two streets in Midtown as SWAT officers tried to talk a man down from the roof of a home.

Argonne Avenue was blocked between Ponce de Leon Avenue and 5th Street, and 4th Street was blocked between Penn Avenue and Durant Place, while negotiators spoke with the man, according to Atlanta police.

Police have since reopened the roads.

Cox Media Group