Gunman Holds CBS News Crew Hostage

A man named Brandon R. Logan held a CBS affiliate’s news crew in Atlanta, Georgia hostage for 90 minutes last week. According to a report by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Logan approached WANF-TV reporter Asia Wilson and photographer Lauren Swaim while they were preparing to do a live report outside of Clayton County Sheriff’s Office around 9:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 11. He told them that he had a gun, and he threatened to shoot them if they called for help.

Wilson and Swaim said that Logan appeared visibly drunk as he approached them outside the courthouse that night. He told threatened them with an unseen gun and demanded that they order food for him, according to a report by WSB-TV. Despite Logan’s threats, Wilson and Swaim were able to inform their colleagues back at the newsroom that they were in danger. However, even then there were some communication errors with the police. Other reporters eventually drove to the scene themselves as they got confusing responses from the officers there.

The standoff went on for 90 minutes before police arrived and arrested Logan. They were able to take him into custody without incident. Before they got there, however, Logan had already lashed out at the reporters more than once. He shoved one of them and attempted to strike the other. A police spokesperson admitted that the frightening ordeal went on “a whole lot longer than it needed to last,” and said that an investigation was underway.

Logan made his first court appearance on Tuesday, Dec. 12. Judge Latrevia Kates-Johnson said: “Brandon Logan made verbal threats to shoot the victims if they did not order food and advised the victims that he had a weapon and if they called law enforcement, he would shoot them. The victims attempted to leave the property but due to Brandon Logan’s threats, and bodily movements acting as if he had a weapon, the victims felt as if they were being held hostage.”

Police said they did not find a gun on Logan, but they noted that he had shoved one of the reporters and attempted to strike another. His charges include assault, battery, false imprisonment and making terroristic threats. He was granted $11,000 bond, but it’s unclear whether he paid and was released. It’s also unclear when he will be back in court.