A 33-year-old woman involved in a SWAT situation in Midtown Tuesday afternoon is now facing a drug charge. Atlanta police are still looking for her 38-year-old boyfriend, who fled the scene.
Atlanta police believed an armed man had barricaded himself in an apartment. After talking to the man and being refused entry, authorities later forcibly entered the apartment, but no one was there, police said. It is unclear if the woman, who leases the apartment, was at the scene during the confrontation and kept quiet, or was not there at all.
"He refused to let the officer inside. To the best of my knowledge, there were no threats made to officers, he just refused to cooperate," said APD spokesman Officer Otis Redmond. "Negotiators thought it was relevant to contact our SWAT team, because our negotiators believed there could be weapons involved."
The incident unfolded at 1384 West Peachtree St., near 17th Street, site of the Belvedere House apartments.
Police were doing a welfare check on a woman after her mother called authorities saying she was worried about her daughter's safety.
"There was a three-minute delay from when initial officers arrived, and no [officers were] occupying the back," Redmond said.
Redmond said police believe anyone inside could have fled through the back of the building during that three-minute period.
Investigators found "17 marijuana plants, marijuana in two jars and growing equipment " inside the second-story apartment, according to Atlanta police. Because Lakeyshia Isaac's name is on the apartment lease, she was taken into custody when she returned home, police said. She is charged with marijuana trafficking.
"I think she knew what was going on," said Carlos Campos, spokesman for APD. "When she returned, she tried to run from police."
At 1:55 p.m., three SUVs arrived on the scene, and more than a dozen heavily armed police personnel, wearing helmets and body armor, emerged from the vehicles.
The SWAT team entered the building, but no residents were evacuated.
Police apparently had a photo of the man and were comparing it against any men leaving the building.
West Peachtree was temporarily closed due to the police activity.
Police said there was not very much information on why the resident's mother wanted a welfare check in the first place.
"We're still trying to ascertain information on her," Redmond said. "I guess maybe she was just being a mom."
Check with ajc.com for updates.
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