Bus hijacking suspect shot man before chase in ATL metro: police

The GBI says after a man shot another man, he hijacked a bus and led a multi-county chase that ended with a shooting of the bus’s engine.

June 12, 2024, 10:26 a.m. EDT | Updated June 12, 2024, 10:46 a.m. EDT

ATLANTA, GA — A Stone Mountain man is facing multiple charges after being accused of shooting another man on a public bus and then hijacking the bus, leading to a multi-county chase.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Wednesday that 39-year-old Joseph Grier boarded a Gwinnett County bus in downtown Atlanta around 4:15 p.m. Tuesday.

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At some point on the bus, the GBI said, Grier got into an argument with another man and the man pulled out a gun. Grier was accused of then taking the gun from the man and threatening passengers with it.

The GBI said Grier shot the man and ordered the bus driver to flee the scene.

Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said the bus was hijacked with several people on board in the 40 block of Ivan Allen Boulevard in Atlanta.

When the bus reached Gwinnett and DeKalb counties, a multi-agency and multi-county chase began, the GBI said.

The bus collided with several police vehicles during the chase and suffered a flat tire, the GBI said. The bus continued to flee with flat tires, the GBI said.

A police officer then fired a rifle at the bus’s engine, causing it to malfunction and stop, the GBI said.

The pursuit eventually ended on Hugh Howell Road in Stone Mountain and Grier was taken into custody without incident, the GBI said.

The man who the GBI said was shot by Grier died at a local hospital. His identity is being withheld pending the identification of next of kin. The bus driver was treated at a local hospital, the GBI said.

Fulton County Jail records show Grier was charged with suspicion of murder, 14 counts of kidnapping, first-degree auto theft, 13 counts of aggravated assault, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm or knife during the commission or attempt to commit certain felonies.

“My condolences go out to the family of the only person who passed away at this time,” Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said at a press conference Tuesday evening. “My condolences also go out to the people who had to endure this terrifying journey through multiple jurisdictions on this bus here tonight.”

He referred to the earlier shooting at the Peachtree Center in which four people, including the suspect, were injured.

Schierbaum said the bus hijacking was not connected to the Peachtree Center shooting.

Both incidents were cases of gun violence in which “too many people had guns in their hands,” Dickens said.

“You’re talking about too many guns in the hands of people who shouldn’t have guns,” Dickens said. “Too many guns on our streets, too many guns in our homes, too many guns in our schools and buses. That’s clearly an indication that something and more needs to be done. … We all need to say, ‘Enough’…”

Once the GBI case file is complete, it will be turned over to the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office for review.