CANTON, Ga. (AP) — Sheriff's deputies north of Atlanta say they apprehended a man they say was armed with three knives and a BB gun that resembled a semi-automatic handgun outside a school.

Cherokee County sheriff's officials say the suspect was standing on school property outside the Cherokee Charter Academy on Sixes Road in Canton around 7:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Authorities say deputies assisting with traffic saw the man. As one of the deputies began to approach him, authorities say he began to walk and then run. Deputies caught up with the man, who was taken into custody.

He was identified as a 31-year-old Woodstock man. Detectives were questioning him Wednesday morning. It wasn't immediately known whether he has an attorney.