Man Accused of Hijacking Bus, Killing Passenger

Photo by ibuki Tsubo on Unsplash

(ConservativeHub.com) – On Tuesday, June 11, a passenger was shot and killed after a transit bus in metro Atlanta was hijacked, and the alleged hijacker led authorities on a high-speed chase across county lines.

At about 4:35 p.m. ET, officers for Atlanta Police Zone responded to a report of gunfire on a Gwinnett County Transit bus and reports that there may be a hostage situation underway in downtown Atlanta.

When officers arrived, the suspect, who had gained control of the bus, allegedly drove off, prompting a high-speed chase.

According to Atlanta police, the pursuit spanned several jurisdictions and required the involvement of multiple agencies.  

In an attempt to stop the bus, police utilized several tactics that eventually led to the bus coming to a stop near 5107 Hugh Howell Road in Stone Mountain.

Video of the chase from FOX 5 Atlanta showed police leading the suspect, reported to be 39-year-old Joseph Grier of Stone Mountain, away in handcuffs. The suspect was taken into police custody without further incident.

Despite more than a dozen passengers being on the bus at the time, only one passenger was injured. The bus driver was also reportedly treated at a hospital.

An adult victim, who had a gunshot wound from the incident, was transported to a nearby hospital by ambulance, where they later died.

According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), the suspect took the victim’s gun before shooting them and directing the bus driver to flee the scene while threatening other passengers on the bus.

Tuesday’s high-speed bus chase happened shortly after a gunman in a downtown Atlanta food court opened fire on several people before being shot by an off-duty police officer.

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