Police officers said a man was fatally shot on a commuter bus Tuesday afternoon in Atlanta, Georgia after a harrowing chase through the city and suburbs.
The pursuit began when “police responded to reports of gunfire on a bus and a possible hostage situation,” according to an Atlanta Police Department (APD) press release.
After police arrived at the scene, the bus fled, which started the chase, the APD alleges. The pursuit proceeded through multiple areas of the city and drew in several law enforcement agencies. (RELATED: Man Allegedly Hijacks Metro Bus With BB Gun, Crashes Into Luxury Hotel)
Footage obtained by Raws Alerts appears to show the allegedly hijacked bus careening through traffic as police attempt to block off the area and pursue.
🚨#BREAKING: Watch as police pursue a high-speed chase involving a hijacked transit bus hostage situation as shots were fired at law enforcement⁰⁰📌#Atlanta | #Georgia
Watch as Chaos unfolds as numerous law enforcement officers and other agencies pursue an intense high-speed… pic.twitter.com/Pih4aELRAQ
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) June 11, 2024
Another video obtained by Raws Alerts appears to show the same bus drive by while being pursued by a throng of police vehicles.
🚨#UPDATE: Here’s a closer view of the moment when the hijacked bus was passing by. The gunman is in custody after stealing and hijacking a transit bus filled with passengers in Atlanta, Georgia. Officials are now reporting that at least one passenger was shot dead, but it… pic.twitter.com/aGAvm3CNRx
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) June 11, 2024
“Our initial call was of a gunman on the bus, that was holding hostages, and possibly there had been a discharged weapon,” APD Chief Darin Schierbaum told reporters, according to CBS News. One of the officers arrived on the scene after the 911 call and “confronted the perpetrator, that then forced the bus driver to drive off,” the police chief reportedly added.
Law enforcement used different methods to stop the bus, eventually leading to it stopping in Stone Mountain, Georgia, the press release notes.
Police took 39-year-old Joseph Grier, the alleged perpetrator, “into custody without further incident,” according to the press release. Officers say they discovered an adult victim who had suffered a gunshot injury while checking the vehicle. The victim was taken to a nearby hospital “in critical condition.” Unfortunately, the victim passed away soon after.
Johnny Gilbert, an Atlanta resident, recounted receiving a phone call from his wife who was on the bus during the incident in an interview with 11Alive.
“She called me, and I was sitting at my desk working and told me that one guy had shot another guy on the bus,” he told the outlet. “I’m like, ‘what?’ It just didn’t make any sense to me.”
“Once I realized that somebody really did shoot somebody, she was on the phone, and I told her to put the phone down because I was worried about him shooting her or something,” Gilbert reportedly continued. “Put the phone down, turn it off and just sit quietly and just don’t say anything to anybody.”
The suspect in this case has been arrested 19 times, including incidents related to him having a weapon in his possession, according to 11Alive. Chief Schierbaum reportedly told reporters that, being a convicted felon, he was not allowed to possess a firearm.