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Two officers injured in 14 hour SWAT standoff; suspect in custody in Butts County

BUTTS COUNTY, Ga. — Two Georgia police officers were injured during a SWAT standoff that lasted more than 14 hours.

The standoff ended peacefully Monday morning after a man, Donald Rivers Waits barricaded himself inside a Butts County home.

The sheriff’s office told Channel 2 Action News that the city of Jackson police responded Sunday night to a call about a person screaming in the Fox Hollow Subdivision.

When the police arrived, Waits fired shots at the police before he barricaded himself in the home.

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Channel 2′s Darryn Moore was at the scene for a live report on Channel 2 Action News This Morning as officials worked toward a peaceful solution.

After 7:30 a.m., Georgia State Patrol went into the house and got Waits out peacefully. Officials told Moore that the man will be taken to the Butts County Sheriff’s Office for an arraignment.

What exactly prompted the shooting and standoff is under investigation.

“We’re praying for the family, praying for the community to heal from this,” Jackson Police Chief James Morgan said.

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According to officials, two officers were hurt but not from gunfire. One officer has a broken wrist.

A female officer also sustained injuries to her eye and her leg. Both officers have been released from the hospital. Neither officer has been identified.

“We’re fortunate it didn’t go any further. Officers used good, sound judgement,” Morgan told Channel 2 Action News.

Waits was charged with 2 counts of aggravated assault against a law enforcement officer and 1 count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.

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