A RETIRED doctor has been arrested following a standoff that lasted for hours after the suspect sprayed bullets from the balcony of a luxury hotel in Atlanta.
Dr. Jay Berger, 70, wore a gas mask and waved US flags from the high-rise building as he allegedly opened fire at the Four Seasons Hotel in the city’s Midtown neighborhood, cops said.
Dr. Jay Berger waving US flags from the high-rise building[/caption]
The suspect threw a handgun into the streets but had at least two other guns with him, according to police[/caption]
The gun horror, which left one Atlanta police officer injured, started at 10 am when cops got calls of a mental health emergency happening in an area outside the hotel.
The hotel manager called the police when Berger pointed a gun at him when he responded to reports of the former doctor throwing items in the hotel hallway, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Once cops responded, they found Berger fighting with a Four Seasons employee and saw he had a gun before he rushed up to the 33rd floor and barricaded himself in his room, Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said.
Cops learned Berger had access to multiple weapons and called SWAT teams for support at about 2 pm before Berger wildly fired off shots with three guns – a handgun, rifle, and a shotgun.
The GBI reported that Berger sprayed bullets inside his apartment and into the hallway, shooting rounds of gunfire through the walls at SWAT officers, hurting one officer.
One officer was struck in the barrage of shots and left with non-life-threatening injuries, and at least two other cops fired rounds.
The suspect then went to his balcony and began throwing items off as video showed him wearing a gas mask and waving American flags.
At some point during the horror, a SWAT sniper shot Berger, leaving his face bloody. Cops believe at least 15 rounds rang out in total.
Berger appeared to raise his hands in surrender following hours of attempted negotiation.
He was arrested around 4:30 pm.
Berger was seen strapped to a gurney with blood covering his face in a streetside video taken by CBS affiliate WSB-TV.
Schierbaum confirmed the alleged gunman was hurt but believes he will recover from the injuries.
The Four Seasons Hotel shared a statement clarifying the shooting happened in a residential condominium, which is separate from the hotel and run by different management.
Horrified onlookers took videos of the barrage of gunfire, and one X user even captured a shadowy figure firing off shots from a balcony.
Timeline of the Four Seasons shooting
Retired eye doctor Jay Berger, 70, is in custody as he’s accused of spraying gunfire from the 33rd floor of a Four Seasons Hotel in Midtown Atlanta.
Here’s a timeline of the shooting on October 29, 2024:
10:12 am – Atlanta Police Department responded to reports of someone pointing a gun at a Four Seasons Hotel employee.
10:30 am – Cops arrive and try to communicate with the suspect, who raced up to the 33rd floor of the high-rise apartment building and barricaded himself in his room. Police identified Berger had multiple weapons in his apartment and evacuated the building.
11 am – Berger begins firing shots from his apartment. SWAT team arrives.
12 pm – Witnesses see Berger wearing a gas mask and waving US flags from his balcony as he throws items off the 33rd floor.
4:15 pm – Berger appears to gesture that he’s surrendering. He then resumes erratic behavior and is shot by a SWAT sniper.
4:30 pm – Berger is arrested and taken to a nearby hospital.
Berger was seen throwing objects off one of the hotel’s highest balconies and moving erratically before he pointed his gun outwards and fired several shots, according to the video obtained by The U.S. Sun.
Cops said the shooter threw a handgun off the balcony but had more weapons in tow.
One witness said she noticed something was off in the hotel at around 1:30 pm, she told CBS affiliate WMAZ.
The hotel security tried to handle the issue, but the gunman got increasingly agitated and wouldn’t cooperate, the guest said.
BIZARRE BEHAVIOR
Friends and colleagues of the retired doctor told Atlanta’s NBC affiliate WXIA-TV that the behavior was bizarre as Berger was a respected community member
“He always treats people with respect,” one friend told the outlet, adding that Berger was a “kind man.”
She said the suspect spent years teaching and mentoring medical students.
Berger, an eye doctor, practiced in Atlanta from 2011 to 2021 in Fulton County, according to the outlet.
HORROR FOOTAGE
Harrowing video taken by Fox affiliate WAGA showed SWAT team officers ducking for cover as gunshots rang out in the abandoned streets.
One person who was staying in the hotel shared a video from his balcony that showed the Atlanta skyline as the barrage of bullets rippled through the skies.
“Hearing lots of shots now at the Four Seasons in Atlanta,” the X user said.
Anyone within sight of the hotel was warned to stay away from windows and rooms facing the windows.
Drone footage from WAGA showed hotel guests walking out onto balconies and looking around to see where the noise was coming from.
Cops set up a perimeter to investigate and closed down the entire square block surrounding the hotel, home to several other hotels and numerous restaurants.
These streets will remain closed as detectives continue to investigate.
The Four Seasons in Atlanta is a 5-star luxury hotel where rooms are an average of $500 per night.
The gun horror came one day after former President Donald Trump stopped by Atlanta for a rally in the final days of his campaign.
Horrified onlookers shared videos of the gunfire[/caption]
SWAT teams and snipers stormed the scene[/caption]
