Crime & Safety

SWAT Standoff Likely Was Planned, Police Say

The recent hostage-taking of Gwinnett firefighters ended with Lauren Holman Brown being shot dead by Gwinnett police.

The incident Wednesday (April 10) in which a Suwanee man held five Gwinnett County firefighters hostage before being shot dead likely was planned, officials said in a press conference Thursday.

Lauren Holman Brown, 55, was identified as the decesased hostage-taker at the press conference. Patch covered the press conference with a live blog.

Brown told his captives during the incident that he chose firefighters as hostages "because he knew (police) would come armed," Gwinnett Police Chief Charles Walters said at the news conference at police headquarters in Lawrenceville.

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"That's an indication that he planned this."

The incident began about 3:40 p.m. when Gwinnett Fire and Emergency officials received a call from 2440 Walnut Grove Way in unincorporated Suwanee from Holman complaining of chest pains. It ended shortly after 7:30 p.m. when police made the decision to enter the house because they felt Brown would not release the hostages even if his demands were met.

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"He was not negotiating -- he was demanding," Walters said.

He said SWAT team members "are pros at this. We felt the time was now if we were going to get the firefighters out safe."

Officials did not release the names of the firefighters who were held captive at gunpoint. Also, the name of a Gwinnett police officer who was wounded was not released.

The officer was wounded in the left forearm by a shot from Brown when SWAT Team members entered the house, according to a police statement. The injured officer returned fire, killing Brown. No other officers fired their weapons.

Brown initially held five firefighters hostage, but released one to move the fire truck and ambulance away from the front of his house.

Police said six guns were found in the house. They do not know if they were legally obtained.

Brown's recent employment history is unknown, but he apparently was undergoing financial difficulties and demanded that officials get his disconnected utilities turned back on. His home reportedly had been foreclosed upon.

Fire officials initially found Brown lying in bed; he appeared to suffer from a condition that restricted his movement. Gwinnett Police spokesperson Jake Smith said Wednesday that Brown's "final resting place" was on the floor near the bed.

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