ATLANTA - A 56-hour standoff with a homicide suspect clinging high atop a
construction crane ended early Saturday when the man thirstily reached for a
drink of water offered by police and was subdued with a quick shot from a
stun gun.

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Carl Edward Roland was lowered safely to the ground and taken to a hospital,
allowing a return to normalcy for the businesses and residents whose lives
and livelihoods were disrupted by the spectacle over their neighborhood
north of downtown Atlanta.

At Nava, an upscale Southwestern eatery, beverage manager Stephen Pouleris
was among those glad to be rid of the drama.

"Now it's back to the other circus show in Buckhead," he said of the area
where thousands of locals and tourists flock to rows of nightclubs and
restaurants.

Roland, 41, climbed the 18-story-high crane Wednesday evening and told
police he was thinking of killing himself by jumping, authorities said.

Roland was wanted in Pinellas County, Fla., in the death of ex-girlfriend
Jennifer L. Gonzalez, 36, whose body was found Tuesday. An arrest warrant
affidavit accuses Roland of strangling Gonzalez and dumping her body in a
pond behind the apartment complex where she lived.

The confrontation brought Buckhead to a standstill for more than two days,
shutting down Peachtree Road, the main drag through the district, disrupting
traffic and providing free entertainment.

Lunch and dinner crowds packed restaurant patios that offered clear views of
the crane.

Some complained that the spectacle hurt business, but Pouleris said the
scene itself was never what threatened business at the busy restaurant.

"The media saying, 'Stay away from Buckhead' was more detrimental," Pouleris
said.

Officials at Grady Memorial Hospital said Roland was in good condition
Saturday, but doctors were monitoring him. Police expected to charge him
with crimes in Atlanta in addition to the Florida charges.

Pinellas County authorities were in Atlanta when Roland was arrested, and
Assistant Police Chief Alan Dreher said he expected them to begin the
extradition process soon.

During the early negotiations while police tried to talk him down from his
perch, Roland had refused offers of food and water but accepted a jacket
that he used for protection from the chill at night and the sun during the
day.

A Thursday attempt by his younger sister, Tiwana Allen, to talk him down
also was futile. She was not allowed to go up on the crane, so she borrowed
a mirror and tried to get his attention by flashing sunlight at him and
shouting "Sugarfoot, it's your baby sister!"

Early Saturday, Sgt. John Quigley said, police again offered water and
Roland got close enough to them that a SWAT team officer was able to stun
him with a Taser.

"Apparently, he was thirsty," Quigley said.

Dreher said later in a news conference that officers felt Ronald was in a
position where they could use the electrical stun gun without harming him.

Dreher said Roland showed mixed emotions during negotiations, but he chose
not to speak to any of his family members after his arrest.

"At times he was calm. At times he was cordial. At times he was irate. At
times he was argumentative. It just depended on the situation," he said.

Since March, the Clearwater, Fla., man had quit his job as a software
salesman, filed for bankruptcy and talked about moving to Las Vegas, the St.
Petersburg (Fla.) Times reported Friday. He had also talked about getting
back together with Gonzalez.

___

Associated Press writers Eliott McLaughlin and Jonathan Landrum and AP
photographer Ric Feld contributed to this report.