A chaotic chase involving a stolen transport bus that stretched Fulton, Gwinnett, and DeKalb counties ended on Tuesday evening with a person being shot to death and a criminal being detained, according to officials.
Joseph Grier, 39, was apprehended at around 5:15 p.m. after the Gwinnett vehicle was stopped near Tucker on Hugh Howell Road, according to Atlanta police captain Darin Schierbaum during a press conference held close to the vehicle.
One man was discovered with a gunshot wound when officers cleared the bus, according to authorities. The patient was taken to the hospital, but they eventually passed away from their injuries. Their label was never released.
Authorities said 17 people, including the pilot, were on the vehicle, but there were no other accidents. The vehicle was held at gunpoint throughout the struggle, according to Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens.
” My soul goes out to the home of the one person who has passed away at this time. The people who had to endure this terrifying voyage across numerous jurisdictions receive my soul, Dickens said.
According to authorities, the vehicle began its untamed ride after a fight broke out on the car at 45 Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard in downtown Atlanta. Around 4:30 p.m., dispatchers received their first visit regarding a gunman’s threat to hold people hostage and a potential firearm discharge. According to officials, an officer showed up one moment afterward and confronted Grier before forcing the bus driver to leave.
A minute 911 caller reported that they were receiving text messages from a bus’s owner claiming it had been hijacked. A person who was inside the van made a final call, and the caller stayed on the line until the bus was suddenly stopped in DeKalb.
Atlanta officers began to pursue the vehicle on I- 85 near Spaghetti Junction, following it into Gwinnett. State soldiers and police were following the vehicle as it turned left onto Jimmy Carter Boulevard and headed north.
Numerous law enforcement organizations participated in the search, including Atlanta officers, the Georgia State Patrol, and APD’s aviation system. A SWAT car could be seen immediately in front of the vehicle after it came to a stop, and Calgary authorities and marshals helped encompass it. The GBI may be assisting Atlanta police with the research.
The vehicle sideswiped several vehicles that were unable to move out of the way in moment during the fight. As the car sped over Jimmy Carter Boulevard, police officers raced past to either divert the runaway transit vehicle using their lights and sirens or clear traffic with patrol cars.
Confusion-seeking drivers occasionally appeared to be unable to clear the enormous collection of law enforcement vehicles that were moving before and behind the renegade van.
Grier is a murderer with 19 prior arrests, authorities said.
His previous detention, according to Fulton court documents, had violent crimes at the heart. According to court documents, he was detained by Atlanta officers in June 2019 on suspicion of aggravated assault and battery. He was imprisoned until September 2020.
According to prison information, Grier was detained and charged with possessing a firearm by a convicted felon in DeKalb in February 2023. He was let go three months later.
According to Dickens,” this person has held people, a vehicle at gunpoint across several jurisdictions, and we all have to say enough is enough when it comes to too many people having guns in their hands and using them in violence,” the statement read.
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