One dead after Atlanta commuter bus hijacks during rush hour

One person is dead after a gunman hijacked an Atlanta commuter bus with 17 passengers on Tuesday, leading police on a miles-long rush-hour chase that spanned several counties, officials said. those responsible.

At a news conference Tuesday, Darin Schierbaum, chief of the Atlanta Police Department, said the suspect, Joseph Grier, 39, had been taken into custody. Police have not released the name of the victim, who they said later died at a hospital from a gunshot wound.

Around 4:35 p.m., a 9-1-1 call was made about a hostage situation in downtown Atlanta and possible shooting aboard a commuter bus, a said Chief Schierbaum. When officers arrived and confronted the suspect, the bus fled, leading police on a rush-hour chase, police said. The pursuit crossed Fulton, Gwinnett and DeKalb counties, according to local media. The bus driver was held at gunpoint, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said at the news conference.

As the police chase ensued, a second 9-1-1 call came from a family member of a passenger on the bus saying the vehicle had been hijacked and the passengers were being held hostage . A third 9-1-1 call came from inside the bus, Chief Schierbaum said, and the line remained open throughout the chase.

Information from that call was shared with the Atlanta Police Department, Georgia State Patrol and agencies in Gwinnett and DeKalb counties and helped end the pursuit, Chief Schierbaum said .

The bus, identified in news reports as a Gwinnett County Transit bus, had 17 people on board, including the driver, Chief Schierbaum said. According to a news release, officers who extricated the bus found an adult victim with a gunshot wound and in critical condition. The victim was taken to hospital and died.

No other injuries were reported, authorities said.

The shooter, whose last known address was in Stone Mountain, Georgia, is a felon with 19 prior arrests and should not have had a gun, Chief Schierbaum said.