Suspect in custody after standoff at Marietta apartment

Oct. 14—A suspect was taken into custody early Friday after an hourslong standoff at a Marietta apartment complex, the Marietta Police Department said.

Durrell Maurice Harris, 35, of Green Bay, Wisconsin, was apprehended by SWAT officers after they forced entry into a unit at the Falls at Sope Creek Apartments, located at 1950 Roswell Road, according to Officer Chuck McPhilamy, Marietta Police Department spokesman.

No officers were injured, McPhilamy said.

Police say Harris has "multiple full extradition warrants" out of Wisconsin.

Around 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Cobb County 911 dispatchers received text alerts asking for help, police said. The texter reportedly said that a man had threatened them and that weapons were present in the home. They also said the man had installed cameras inside and outside the apartment.

Upon responding, officers found the front door "wide open" and smelled marijuana coming from inside the apartment, police said. When they announced their presence, the door was slammed shut. They also observed a security camera that had been mounted "directly above them."

Officers tried to get Harris to surrender, but he barricaded himself inside the apartment with two females, police said.

Police secured a search warrant and officers forced entry into the apartment around 8:30 p.m. and were able to get Harris' seven-year-old daughter and a 19-year-old woman out safely, McPhilamy said. The woman was described by police as "a recent acquaintance of the suspect" who has cooperated with investigators.

"The females indicated they were being held against their will. Based on confirmation that the suspect, Durrell Harris, was inside and had fabricated many countermeasures to prevent entry into the apartment and capture, officers requested assistance from the Marietta Police Department's (MPD) Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team," the department said.

Police said they tried unsuccessfully to reach Harris via public address and phone calls. Neighboring apartments were evacuated.

Harris remained inside until officers again forced entry around 12:45 a.m. Friday, McPhilamy said.

"The suspect was located in a makeshift 'safe-room' he built inside a bedroom closet and still would not comply nor surrender," police said.

Officers used a Taser on the suspect and took him into custody "without injury," police said. No weapons were located.

Harris was booked into the Cobb County jail around 2:20 a.m., according to jail records. He has been charged with four felonies — false imprisonment, cocaine possession, possession of a Schedule I controlled substance and fugitive from justice. He also faces two misdemeanor charges, for marijuana possession and willful obstruction of a law enforcement officer.

Harris is not eligible for bond.