Atlanta: murder suspect spent 56 hours perched on crane

A murder suspect who spent 56 hours perched on an 18-story &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/economics/2002/01/15/25561.html ' target=_blank>construction crane was in custody early today after police climbed the structure and arrested him, authorities said.

"Apparently, he was thirsty," said Atlanta police Sgt. John Quigley.

The man, identified as Carl Edward Roland, got onto the crane around 5 p.m. Wednesday and told cops he was thinking of killing himself by jumping.

An arrest warrant accuses Roland of strangling Gonzalez and dumping her body in a pond behind the apartment complex where she lived. The standoff had halted traffic and brought some businesses to a standstill in Buckhead, a commercial district in Atlanta, reports the New York Post.

Gonzalez, 36, was strangled on Tuesday near her apartment near Clearwater, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff`s Department. Her body was found in a pond behind the apartment, informs Reuters.