COBB COUNTY, Ga. — An armed robbery suspect has been taken into custody after a dramatic Interstate 75 standoff in Cobb County.
Channel 2 Action News first brought you live video of the standoff as it unfolded around 9:30 a.m.
Georgia Department of Transportation video showed more than a dozen police officers and a SWAT vehicle blocking the southbound lanes of I-75 near I-285 with guns drawn on a car parked on the side of the interstate.
Police later said the man was the same suspect that robbed a Walmart at 210 Cobb Parkway earlier Friday morning.
Marietta police told Channel 2 Action News that after getting a call about the robbery, they spotted the driver and car that matched the description in the report. The driver led police on a chase, finally pulling over on the highway near SunTrust Park stadium.
After the car pulled over, the driver became "noncompliant." Police believed that the suspect was armed.
Channel 2's Tom Regan was the first reporter on the scene in Cobb County, where for nearly two hours, negotiators tried to talk the man into surrendering.
Cobb County police Officer Chuck McPhilamy said the suspect was talking to negotiators using a cellphone, but the negotiations later broke down.
[PHOTO GALLERY: Police surround armed driver on I-75 standoff in Cobb County]
Just before 11 a.m., video from NewsChopper 2 showed officers pulled an armored truck in front of the car. Minutes later, officers pulled the suspect out of the car and took him into custody.
The suspect has not been identified and is being evaluated at a hospital, though police said he only had minor injuries.
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As the standoff unfolded, traffic backed up for for hours as many people headed out of town for spring break. At one point, traffic was backed up 10 miles to the Kennesaw area, according to Triple Team Traffic's Mark Arum.
Regan spoke to Joe Murbury, who was one of thousands of drivers affected by the standoff.
"It took me two-and-a-half hours to get around it," Murbury said.
Corey Gear was one of several witnesses who gathered on an overpass to watch the standoff unfold.
"We had some people watching the live feed, and it was pretty close to where we work," Gear said. "We figured we could come out and take a look. We have a lot of people commuting and coming through the city."
Witnesses said they were glad that the standoff ended peacefully.
Officers from Cobb County police, Georgia State Patrol and HERO units assisted in the incident.