A hostage situation combined with a high-speed chase occurring in DeKalb County Tuesday night, eventually ended peacefully according to law enforcement officials.

At around 7:15 that night a caller reported to Sylvania Police that someone had broken into a neighbor’s home on Carissa Road apparently taking two people hostage prior to fleeing in a gray, four door truck.  The vehicle was spotted by an off-duty Fyffe Police Office on Highway 75 at which point the chase began with the suspect heading eastbound. 

That pursuit continued into the Henagar City Limits with the driver finally coming to rest in the parking lot of the Swifty Mart convenience store, at the intersection of Highways 75 and 40.  Henagar Police and that off-duty Fyffe Officer confronted the suspect, and took him into custody at the scene,  According to a report by the Southern Torch 38 year old Joseph Scott Pannell from Sylvania was charged with Violation of Domestic Violence Order, Criminal Mischief and the Unlawful Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.  

Both hostages were unharmed, however emergency medical services had to be called to the scene due to one hostage suffering a seizure following the incident.

(Southern Torch/www.southerntorch.com)