Most of the hostage ordeal that the public knew about Tuesday in Cobb County concerned one person being held by an armed captor.
However, two other people also were held hostage by Frank Malone in a drug/alcohol halfway house near Marietta, police said.
And their account, as told to Channel 2 Action News, is harrowing.
“He was taking us down with him,” Jenna Born, 38, said. “That’s what he told us.”
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“Pretty sure I was going to die a couple of times,” James Gniewkowski, 23, the other hostage, said. “We all had that feeling it was pretty much over.”
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Malone, 43, also held the third hostage, Sydney Cahall, 27, in a house in the 2000 block of Arkose Drive, Cobb County police said in a news release.
About 6 p.m. Monday, Malone became upset, drew his gun and forced all three of them to a couch and held them at gunpoint, Gniewkowski said.
“He said if the police come through the door, I’m going to kill you all.”
Early Tuesday, Gniewkowski and Born said a noise distracted Malone, and that allowed them to escape and run to a gas station for help.
After hours of negotiations with Cobb County Crisis Negotiation Team officers, Malone released Cahall and turned himself in, police said.
The house is operated by Marietta-based New Transitions.
"I've run New Transitions for 10 years," Director Barbara Gray told AJC.com, "and I've never had an incident like this. I'm shocked at the incident and glad it's over. This is an example of what drugs do to people."In other news:
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