One dead as gunman hijacks bus and leads police on car chase through Atlanta suburbs

Emergency vehicles surround the hijacked bus after a harrowing chase through two Atlanta-area counties.

Atlanta police had just finished addressing the community about a downtown food court shooting when calls began pouring in about a bus hijacking. A gunman had seized control of a commuter bus with 17 people onboard, prompting frantic texts and 911 calls from passengers.

The suspect, identified as 39-year-old felon Joseph Grier, held the bus driver at gunpoint and forced him to speed away as police arrived. Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum reported that Grier compelled the driver to continue driving, leading to a chaotic rush-hour chase across highways and suburban streets, often colliding with other vehicles and crossing into oncoming traffic.

A hijacked commuter bus sits in the road where it was stopped after a lengthy police chase Tuesday

Inside the bus, a passenger stayed on the line with 911, allowing authorities to monitor the situation. Mayor Andre Dickens described the scene as akin to a movie, with Grier holding a gun to the driver’s head and threatening worse consequences if the bus stopped.

The pursuit ended in Stone Mountain, where the bus came to a halt on a tree-lined street. Passengers quickly exited, and Grier was arrested without further incident. A passenger found shot aboard the bus was taken to a hospital but later died. The victim’s identity has not yet been released pending family notification.

The bus was eventually stopped and the gunman arrested, but one person – believed to be a passenger – had been killed

Grier, who has 19 prior felony convictions, had been in a confrontation with another passenger before the shooting, according to accounts from passengers, including Paulette Gilbert, who called her husband during the hijacking.

The ordeal began around 4:30 p.m. with a 911 call reporting the hijacking on Ivan Allen Boulevard. An officer arrived within a minute but was unable to prevent Grier from forcing the bus driver to continue driving. Throughout the chase, another passenger’s call provided crucial information to dispatchers.

The chase, involving multiple law enforcement agencies, covered Atlanta’s Interstate 85 and surrounding suburban areas before the bus was disabled using tactical maneuvers. The bus struck several vehicles during the pursuit, but it’s unclear if there were additional injuries.

The hijacking came just two hours after a shooting at a food court in a downtown Atlanta in which a man shot three people

A joint investigation by the Atlanta Police Department and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation is underway. The hijacking occurred just hours after another shooting in a downtown Atlanta food court, where a man wounded three people. This suspect, a 34-year-old felon with 11 prior arrests, was quickly apprehended.

“These incidents highlight the problem of gun violence due to too many people having access to firearms,” Mayor Dickens said. “While violent crime in Atlanta is decreasing, days like today remind us of the urgent need for further action.”

Despite a decrease in overall violent crime, the events of this day have left a lasting impact on the city. “This is a day we’ll never forget,” Mayor Dickens concluded.