A passenger was shot and killed after a gunman hijacked a commuter bus in downtown Atlanta with 17 folks on board and held a gun to the bus driver’s head, in keeping with police.
Atlanta police obtained three separate 911 calls starting 4:30 p.m. {that a} man was holding hostages on a Gwinnett County Transit bus close to 45 Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard and that photographs had been fired — however the name instantly reduce out.
Responding officers noticed 39-year-old Joseph Grier holding a gun to the bus driver’s head because the suspect compelled him to begin driving, sparking a wild police chase.
The bus crashed into a number of vehicles because it wove out and in of site visitors, together with a Gwinnett County patrol cruiser, whereas Georgia State Patrol cruisers pursued.
Aerial footage confirmed the bus barreling down the freeway as different panicked drivers tried to get out of the best way.
At one level, all lanes of the interstate had been shut down as officers employed a number of completely different techniques to attempt to cease the bus.
In a determined try to cease the bus, police appeared to strive a “PIT” maneuver that was unsuccessful, 11alive reported.
The bus was lastly disabled with using spike strips, cops mentioned.
It got here to a cease roughly 20 miles away in Tucker off Hugh Howell Highway between Deer Ridge Drive and Rosser Highway.
Passengers might be seen exiting the bus with their arms within the air. First responders instantly started performing CPR on a sufferer whom Greer had shot in the course of the mayhem.
The sufferer, who has not been recognized, was rushed to an area hospital, the place they died, police mentioned.
Greer was taken into custody and fees are pending.
Dennis Durham informed WSBTV he was popping out of Gusto on Hugh Howell in Tucker when a automobile in entrance of him all of the sudden went in reverse to attempt to keep away from the bus and slammed into the entrance of his car.
“Right here comes the bus proper in entrance of us and simply knocked by way of plenty of these vehicles and made them hit one another,” Durham mentioned. “I noticed so many police vehicles in so many alternative areas my head was swimming.”
One man informed the outlet that his spouse was one of many passengers on the bus. Greer gave the impression to be mentally unwell, she mentioned.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens mentioned Greer has 19 prior arrests, together with for possession of a handgun.
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