Police: Man who held 12 inside motel room stabs himself

DECATUR, Ga. (AP) – A man armed with a knife held 11 children and his girlfriend inside a motel room for five hours before he stabbed himself in the neck Tuesday morning, ending a standoff with police, authorities said.

No one else was injured.

Authorities had surrounded the motel and tried to negotiate with Korrie Thomas, 36, before a SWAT team eventually stormed the room and found him critically injured, police said.

Thomas was taken to a hospital. He faces charges of false imprisonment and obstruction. Jail records did not list an attorney for him.

Police initially responded to the Rite4us Inn & Suites motel about 2 a.m. for a domestic assault. It was not immediately clear who made the call or what happened.

A woman and children ranging in age from 3 months to 17 years old were inside the room and Thomas would not allow anyone to leave, DeKalb County police Maj. Stephen Fore said in a statement.

Details about the police negotiations with him were not released.

County and state officials were searching for safe housing and other assistance for the woman and the children, after determining they weren’t injured or neglected, said DeKalb County Child Advocacy Center director Trenny Stovall. She said authorities believe the woman and Thomas are parents of 10 of the children, while the oldest child is Thomas’ brother.

She said the family had been living in the motel, but it’s not clear how long or how many rooms they used.

“Our goal is to keep the family together in a safe situation,” Stovall said. “They’re all in school, and we want to be sure they are able to continue. Separation can add trauma.”

Decatur is about 10 miles southeast of downtown Atlanta.