ATLANTA, April 8 (UPI) -- A man thought to be a rape and kidnapping suspect ended a standoff with police in an Atlanta-area town Thursday by killing himself, authorities said.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Atlanta police had not yet confirmed the man who fatally shot himself in a sport utility vehicle in Buckhead was James Scott Carringer, 42, of Hiawassee. Carringer was wanted for allegedly abducting and sexually assaulting a Kennesaw State student. However, the newspaper said the SUV matched the description and registration of Carringer's vehicle.
The incident started, police said, when they received a 5:30 a.m. call about a suspicious vehicle. The driver told approaching officers he was suicidal, and had a gun and explosives.
Reinforcements were summoned and about 20 minutes later a gunshot was heard coming from the SUV, police said. Shortly before 8 a.m., police used a robot to knock out a window with an explosive device. Officers then found the man dead inside the vehicle, the Journal-Constitution said.
No explosives were found in the SUV, police said.
Gilmer County Sheriff Stacy Nicholson told the newspaper Carringer Tuesday allegedly kidnapped a 19-year-old relative who attends Kennesaw State from the parking lot of a sporting goods store, drove her to a remote area and raped her. He then released her, and she drove herself to a hospital and reported the assault.
