A number of SWAT officers forced their way into a room at the Super 8 motel in Ooltewah on Wednesday when a man barricaded himself in his room for three hours.
Police at around 4:20 p.m. used tear gas, then forced the door to the room open.
A bystander said there were three loud noises. It sounded like a small explosion first. then a pounding on a door. A man with dark hair wearing no shirt and with ripped blue jeans was brought out in handcuffs and placed in a police car.
The man was allegedly armed with a machete and possibly other weapons.
There reportedly had been a report of a bullet casing on the ground nearby the room - causing the initial low key negotiations to escalate into a full scale SWAT team reaction.
Police said the man was in an "emotional" state.
Police had advised motorists not to drive through the area.
The motel is at 8934 Lee Highway. It is at Exit 11 of I-75.
At the height of the standoff, at least 20 police vehicles were at the scene plus an ambulance. About 15 officers in SWAT gear were gathered next to the Waffle House next door. There were two police officers with rifles lying on the second floor walkway of the Super 8 where they could see the barricaded room on the adjacent L-shaped wing of the motel. The police had a K-9 unit in the parking lot in front of the motel.
A bystander said he believes that the 38-year-old man barricaded in the room was "just a guy afraid to come out."
The man's father was called to the scene.
The incident started around 1:30 p.m. As the standoff continued, police stopped and cleared all traffic on the Lee Highway section that goes under I-75 at Exit 11. Traffic on Mountain View Road and Hunter Road could not turn toward I-75.
A dark green armored SWAT vehicle was parked in front of the room that police were observing.
A witness at the time said, "The Waffle House may as well close until the police get hungry. Officers are casually hanging out. There is no sign of tension other than the riflemen up on the balcony."
A media staging area was set up at the On The Run gas station across the street.