Long was being held Wednesday in Cherokee County on four counts of murder and one count of aggravated assault, the sheriff's office said.

He was arrested Tuesday night about 150 miles to the south, in a traffic stop on Interstate 75, authorities said.

Long indicated to investigators he believed he had a sex addiction and an "issue with porn," and claimed to see the spas as "a temptation for him that he wanted to eliminate," Cherokee County sheriff's Capt. Jay Baker said at Wednesday's news conference.

Long "may have frequented some of these (spas) in the past," Reynolds said.

Baker, like the Atlanta mayor, said Long told investigators he was headed to Florida and was "going to do more acts" there.

Bottoms, acknowledging most of the victims were Asian, said "we know (violence against Asian Americans) is an issue happening around the country; it's unacceptable, it is hateful, and it has to stop."

The spas were "legally operating businesses" which were not on the authorities' radar, the mayor said.

South Korea's foreign ministry, which had been in touch with its consulate in Atlanta, has said that four of the victims were of Korean ethnicity.

First shooting reported around 5 p.m.

Shortly before 5 p.m. Tuesday, deputies were called to Young's Asian Massage between the Georgia cities of Woodstock and Acworth after reports of a shooting, Cherokee County sheriff's officials have said.

Responding deputies found five people with gunshot wounds. Two people were pronounced dead at the scene and three were transported to a hospital, where two died, Baker said.

About an hour later and 30 miles away, Atlanta police responded to what was described as a robbery at the Gold Massage Spa on Piedmont Road in Atlanta. Police said they found three people dead.

While there, police received another call of shots fired across the street at the Aroma Therapy Spa, where they found one person dead, Bryant said.

Authorities in the area said they are increasing patrols around similar businesses, and FBI spokesperson Kevin Rowson said the agency is assisting with the investigation.

Investigators identified a suspect from video at the Cherokee County scene, and published it on social media. Long's family saw the image and helped authorities identify him, Reynolds said Wednesday.

"(Long's family) are very distraught, and they were very helpful in this apprehension," Reynolds said.

Investigators were able to track Long's phone, and Reynolds reached out to authorities in Georgia's Crisp County, well to the south, to let them know he appeared to be heading in that direction, the Cherokee County sheriff said Wednesday.

The suspect

Around 8:30 p.m., the highway patrol about 150 miles south of the city was alerted that a suspect in the Cherokee County shooting was heading its way, Reynolds said in a video on the Crisp County Sheriff's Department Facebook page.

After Long's vehicle was spotted, a chase ensued on Interstate 75 and a state trooper performed a maneuver that sent the SUV out of control, authorities said.

"The suspect was taken into custody without incident ... and transported to the Crisp County jail," the official said.

Police believe Long is also responsible for the shootings in Atlanta, the Atlanta Police Department said.

"Video footage ... places the Cherokee County suspect's vehicle in the area, around the time of our Piedmont Road shootings," Atlanta police said in a news release. "That, along with video evidence viewed by investigators, suggests it is extremely likely our suspect is the same as Cherokee County's, who is in custody.

"Because of this, an investigator from APD is in Cherokee County and we are working closely with them to confirm with certainty our cases are related."

A community shaken

President Joe Biden was briefed overnight about the shootings, and White House officials have been in touch with the Atlanta mayor's office and the FBI, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Wednesday.

Police have not provided any motive for the shootings.

"The reported shootings of multiple Asian American women today in Atlanta is an unspeakable tragedy -- for the families of the victims first and foremost, but also for the Asian American community, which has been reeling from high levels of racist attacks over the course of the past year," it said. "This latest attack will only exacerbate the fear and pain that the Asian American community continues to endure."

In Seattle, officials increased outreach to community-based organizations and added an increased presence of police patrols, Mayor Jenny A. Durkan and Chief of Police Adrian Diaz said in a statement.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who was in South Korea's capital to meet with the nation's foreign minister, mentioned the attacks in opening remarks Wednesday.

Noting the foreign ministry's report that four victims were of Korean ethnicity, he expressed condolences to the victims' families and 'to anyone in the Korean community who is shaken and deeply disturbed by this incident."

US Rep. Judy Chu of California wrote Wednesday that she was devastated to learn about the shootings, and that the Asian American community "has been facing a relentless increase in attacks and harassment over the past year."

NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson condemned the shooting "in the strongest possible terms."