ATLANTA, GA – An unlikely and chaotic chase played out over miles of Atlanta suburbs on Tuesday afternoon. A Gwinnett County Transit bus was pursued by law enforcement officers after a man fatally shot a passenger on the bus. The suspect, who allegedly sparked a hostage situation, was later captured and arrested.
As per Atlanta police, the pursuit began when they responded to a reported incident of an armed man holding hostages on a commuter bus, just after 4:30 p.m. near downtown Atlanta. The authorities were also informed that a shot had been fired on the bus.
According to Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum, upon the arrival of an officer at the scene, the perpetrator compelled the bus driver to drive off, sparking the chase. Joseph Grier, 39, a convicted felon with 19 prior arrests, was the alleged culprit, taken into custody after the bus was stopped in DeKalb County.
One individual aboard the bus was declared dead from a gunshot wound, with no other injuries known among the passengers or driver. An open 911 call from the bus gave authorities real-time insights on events unfolding on the bus.
Gwinnett County Transit bus passenger Paulette Gilbert was one of those involved. Her spouse stated that she had called him from the bus during the ordeal to relay that a man had been shot.
John and Paulette Gilbert were separated for up to 45 agonizing minutes before she was able to contact him again, once evacuated from the commuter bus.
The hostage situation came to a halt when the bus left the road. The authorities then used a BearCat to immobilize the bus.
This unfortunate event occurred on the same day as a food court shooting where a gunman shot three individuals before being taken down by an off-duty police officer. Investigations are ongoing, and officials confirmed no link between the two incidents.