Gunman holed up with four firefighter hostages in Georgia 

 

 A gunman was barricaded in a home in Georgia on Wednesday with four firefighters he took as hostages after they responded to what appeared to be a medical emergency call, officials said.

The man initially held a fifth firefighter captive in the home, in Suwanee, about 35 miles northeast of Atlanta, but let that person leave to move a fire truck, police and fire officials said.

Officials were not releasing details about what happened inside the house or a possible motive but said the hostages did not appear to have been harmed.

"We're not getting any word that any of our firefighters have been injured," said Tommy Rutledge, spokesman for the Gwinnett County Fire Department.

The five firefighters, who also are trained as paramedics, had responded to what was believed to be a routine medical call, Rutledge said.
"There was no indication that they would meet with someone who was hostile," he said.
Rutledge said the firefighters had alerted their dispatch center about the incident, but he could not say whether they were still in contact with officials.

Television footage of the scene showed a well-groomed, suburban neighborhood of two-story homes filled with police cars and fire engines. Residents were not being allowed in or out of the neighborhood, which they described in television reports as quiet.