A gunman hijacked a bus in downtown Atlanta on Tuesday, taking 16 passengers and the driver hostage as he forced a high-speed chase through three counties, authorities said.
One person on the bus died of a gunshot wound, police said. They described the driver as “shaken up.”
The slain victim was not immediately named.
The first 911 call came at about 4:30 p.m. as Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum and Mayor Andre Dickens were wrapping up a briefing on the shooting at Peachtree Center on what the politico termed “a very active day.”
“Our 911 center received a report of an emergency on a bus that was at 45 Eisenhower Blvd.,” Schierbaum told reporters. “Officers arrived about one minute later and confronted the perpetrator, who then forced the bus driver to drive off.”
That initial call, he said, was about a gunman on the bus who was holding hostages and may have discharged a weapon, but the call cut off. Another passenger’s family member called 911 saying a relative had texted that the bus was hijacked. Then a third caller, a passenger who stayed on the line, helped police track the bus.
A high-speed chase ensued as the vehicle barreled through rush-hour traffic, sideswiping autos and veering into oncoming lanes, television and drone footage showed. The Atlanta Police Department, its aviation unit and Georgia State Patrol were all involved in the pursuit along surface streets and Interstate 85. Ultimately the bus was disabled by spike strips in DeKalb County, WXIA-TV reported. Several cars along the route had to be towed after being hit, according to WSB-TV.
The 39-year-old suspect, Joseph Greer, was a convicted felon with 19 prior arrests, he added.
With News Wire Services
