Commuter Bus Hijacking In Atlanta Leaves One Dead After Wild Police Chase

The bus carrying 17 people struck several vehicles as it barreled through rush hour traffic with police in pursuit, authorities said.

ATLANTA (AP) — One person died after being shot on a commuter bus Tuesday afternoon that led officers on a wild chase for miles from Atlanta into an outlying suburb, striking several vehicles as it barreled through rush hour traffic with frightened passengers aboard, authorities said.

TV news helicopters followed the dramatic pursuit of the Gwinnett County Transit bus, which police said took off after officers responded to a report of gunfire on a bus and a possible hostage situation just after 4:30 p.m. near downtown Atlanta.

The helicopter footage showed the bus striking multiple vehicles during the chase and crossing onto the wrong side of a road with police in pursuit. At one point an officer could be seen waiting on a highway and then throwing a device under the bus trying to stop it. The bus continued on, weaving in and around other vehicles.

Atlanta police said the bus was eventually stopped miles (kilometers) away in neighboring DeKalb County and that Joseph Grier, 39, was taken into custody as police vehicles swarmed all around. As officers cleared the bus of passengers, they found an adult victim with a gunshot wound. Authorities said that person, whose name was not immediately released, was taken to a hospital and died from their injuries.

There were 17 people on the bus, including the driver, but no further injuries were reported on the bus, police said. News photos showed an armored police SWAT vehicle squarely blocking the front of the bus, which was also flanked by a firetruck. Afterward, a lighted digital sign above the bus windshield still read: “EMERGENCY” and “CALL POLICE 911.”