Man charged with holding Atlanta News First crew hostage appears in court

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - The man accused of holding an Atlanta News First crew hostage for more than an hour on Clayton County government property made his first court appearance Tuesday.

Brandon R. Logan is charged with terroristic threats, false imprisonment, public drunk, obstructing/hindering emergency phone call, simple battery, simple assault, and loitering or prowling. Logan, identified by police as a homeless man in Jonesboro, Georgia, was arrested early Tuesday morning.

Bond was set at $11,000, and a preliminary hearing was set for Jan. 24, 2024.

Atlanta News First reporter Asia Wilson and photojournalist Lauren Swaim were preparing to give a live report from the parking lot of the Clayton County Sheriff’s office just before 11 p.m. Monday. That’s when the crew said a man approached them, indicated he had a gun, and threatened to shoot them if they called for help.

The crew alerted the Atlanta News First newsroom they were in danger. Authorities were contacted immediately.

As precious time passed, three Atlanta News First employees decided to take action by driving to the courthouse, more than 20 minutes from the station. On the way, they flagged down a police cruiser. That officer raced to the scene where the crew was still with the suspect.

About an hour and a half into the encounter, police arrived at the scene and took Logan into custody. Police said no gun was found at the scene.

Thankfully, our reporter and photojournalist were not injured in the incident and are recovering.

Atlanta News First will continue to ask questions about what happened and bring you more as we get it.

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There is still confusion about who should have responded and when.

On Thursday, Clayton County Police Chief Kevin Roberts spoke with Atlanta News First’s chief investigative reporter, Brendan Keefe, about the department’s response to the incident.

On Wednesday, the Jonesboro Police Department released the following about the incident:

On Wednesday, the Clayton County Police Department released the following about the incident:

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