The Franklin Police SWAT Team took a man into custody after he spent almost seven hours barricaded in a hotel room at Embassy Suites Cool Springs.
Guests had been evacuated from the hotel and the horseshoe-shaped Crescent Center Drive that leads to the hotel off Carothers Parkway was blocked near both ends. The hotel finally was reopened at almost 3 p.m.
Police spokesman Lt. Charlie Warner issued this statement:
“At 5:30 this morning, the suspect, who is known to law enforcement, made a series of phone calls from the hotel to two different police dispatch centers stating that he had guns and explosives, and intended to use them. Arriving officers worked with hotel staff to begin an immediate evacuation of the hotel. Guests were directed to their vehicles and away from the property.”
Police continued to block Crescent Center Drive following the arrest as bomb technicians continued to search the hotel for any remaining danger.
During the standoff, fire engines, ambulances, Franklin Police units and Williamson County Sheriff’s department vehicles were staged all around the office park that surrounds the hotel. SWAT officers waited in a parking lot across from the hotel.
A steady stream of hotel guests and employees drove up to the perimeter and were turned back, many saying that they had left their property in hotel rooms or needed to return rental cars. Several guests who were to check in on Sunday also were turned back.
Guests finally were allowed back in the hotel just before 3 p.m., though the second floor and the north parking lot remained closed for investigation.
According to the statement from Warner, information about the suspect will be released after charges have been filed. That is expected later today.
