VI News Staff 6 months ago
VINStaff Verified #usnews

Bus passengers frantically texted loved ones as gunman hijacked an Atlanta commuter bus during rush hour

CNN — Atlanta police had barely finished briefing the community about a shooting inside a downtown food court Tuesday afternoon when calls began to come in about a bus hijacking.

A gunman had hijacked a commuter bus with 17 people inside, prompting passengers to frantically text loved ones and call 911 for help, police said.

But as police arrived on the scene and tried to confront the gunman, identified as 39-year-old felon Joseph Grier, the suspect held the bus driver at gunpoint and forced him to speed away, according to Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum.

The ensuing rush-hour police chase zig-zagged across highway lanes and suburban streets as the bus led authorities across at least two counties, at times careening into other cars and crossing into opposing traffic.

Inside, a passenger surreptitiously stayed on the line with 911, allowing authorities to hear the commotion, Schierbaum said. Mayor Andre Dickens said the chaos sounded like a movie scene as the suspect had “a gun to the head of a bus driver saying, ‘Don’t stop this bus or else worse will happen.’”

READ MORE:

U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS WEATHER

USVI hosts ‘successful’ inaugural Medicaid territories summit

VI News Staff
3 months ago

Little makes 'passionate' Ireland Test cricket promise

VI News Staff
4 months ago

St. Croix Water Crisis: WAPA Says Lead Levels Extremely High; Bryan We...

VI News Staff
1 year ago

Former governor of Puerto Rico arrested on corruption charges

VI News Staff
2 years ago

Come on Venezuela wins feature clash of August Tuesday Races

VI News Staff
2 years ago