A man was arrested Wednesday afternoon following a domestic incident that led officers to swarm a tranquil Cobb County neighborhood, authorities said.
The four-hour incident in the 3200 block of Stonewall Drive, which is off Jim Owens Road and just south of Cobb Parkway in Kennesaw, began as a situation between a man and his stepfather, Cobb police spokesman Sgt. Wayne Delk said in a news release. The stepfather called 911 around 1:45 p.m. to report that his stepson, identified as Joey Holcomb, had threatened him, police added.
According to an incident report, Holcomb possessed what appeared to be a Molotov cocktail. The stepfather told officers that the 34-year-old was acting erratic and moving around the home while also holding a large piece of glass, causing him to fear that his life was in danger, the report added.
“Although there was not an official call for all members of the SWAT team to respond, those SWAT members who were already on duty did respond once Joey Holcomb barricaded himself in a trailer parked on the property at the residence,” according to Delk.
An officer at the scene could be heard repeatedly telling Holcomb over a loudspeaker that authorities had a warrant for his arrest and instructing him to “come out with your hands raised.” The stepfather, who was able to show officers the Molotov cocktail that was eventually taken by the Cobb police bomb squad, had been safely rescued from the property at that point, the report notes.
Holcomb was taken into custody around 6 p.m. and is facing charges of simple assault family violence, terroristic threats, obstruction of law enforcement and possession of a destructive device.
As residents began returning home from work, Amanda Rice told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that she was stunned to find her neighborhood flooded with police. She described the area as peaceful and quiet, a place where the loudest noise heard is usually a dog barking.
“I couldn’t believe it. I came around the curve, saw blue lights and it terrified me,” she said. “I watch ‘SWAT’ on television, but I’ve never seen them in person.”
Rice had a previous run-in with the suspect, who she said recently came to her house late one night asking if she wanted to sell a motorcycle before she turned him away.
Credit: Kevin Whaley
Credit: Kevin Whaley
It’s not the first time Holcomb has been arrested in Cobb. In August 2022, he was indicted on charges including attempting to elude a police officer and DUI. According to the indictment, Holcomb refused to pull over and drove more than 20 mph over the speed limit down Jim Owens Road in February of that year.
Wednesday’s incident was the second SWAT standoff to unfold in Cobb in the past three days. A man who barricaded himself inside a home in the Kentmere at Legacy Park neighborhood, prompting SWAT to respond to the scene, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound Monday afternoon, authorities said.
According to Kennesaw police spokesman Officer David Buchanan, a 42-year-old man called 911 and threatened suicide, saying that he had a gun. When officers responded, they learned that multiple children were inside the home. They were able to get the children out but could not establish a line of communication with the suspect.
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