Written by: E. George
Published June 12, 2024 @ 7:45 PM ET
FULTON COUNTY, Ga. – Authorities arrested a 39-year-old Stone Mountain man on Tuesday, June 11, 2024, for reportedly hijacking a Gwinnett County transit bus in downtown Atlanta with 17 hostages on board. Police say Joseph Grier held a gun to the driver’s head and led several agencies on a dangerous pursuit through multiple jurisdictions until finally stopping in Stone Mountain with a critically injured victim.
Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum explained that Grier, a convicted felon, faced 19 previous arrests. Authorities apprehended and transported him to the Fulton County Jail, where he faces charges of murder, 14 counts of aggravated assault, 14 counts of kidnapping, hijacking a motor vehicle, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
At approximately 4:35 PM, Atlanta police officers responded to a report of gunfire on a bus and a possible hostage situation near Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard NE. When they arrived and confronted the suspect, he forced the bus to flee, striking many vehicles in its path and driving the wrong way on State Route 8.
Police said a passenger had phoned 911, but after a few seconds, the call suddenly dropped. Shortly after, a passenger’s relative called 911 to report that they had received texts about someone hijacking the bus and holding people hostage.
Then, 911 dispatch received a third call from someone on the bus who remained on the line throughout the entire ordeal.
Chief Schierbaum stated, “It was that information that our call takers and dispatchers were hearing that was fed initially to the Atlanta Police Department, and then to the Georgia State Patrol, and then our partners at Gwinnett and DeKalb Counties to craft and end this hostage situation.”
Grier forced the driver to travel on I-85 to Gwinnett County, exit onto Jimmy Carter Boulevard, and then on Hugh Howell Road, where it was finally stopped in DeKalb County with spike strips that disabled the tires. At one point, all highway lanes were closed, and law enforcement executed a variety of tactics to try to end the pursuit.
Officers surrounded the vehicle as passengers began exiting. They said 17 individuals were aboard, including the driver, who was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Chief Schierbaum expressed gratitude toward all involved parties for their assistance. He stated, “You saw the collective effort and dedication of law enforcement working together today to save lives, to rescue hostages, to make sure this ended.”
While clearing the bus, officers discovered an adult male with a gunshot wound to the head, who later succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.
A witness reported traveling on Hugh Howell Road in Tucker when a vehicle up ahead began reversing and crashed into him. He said, “Here comes the bus right in front of us, and [it] just knocked through a lot of these cars and made them hit each other. I saw so many police cars in so many different areas; my head was swimming.”
Another witness explained that his wife was on board the bus and told him she believed the suspect was suffering from a mental issue. He stated, “It’s almost like disbelief like you almost don’t realize this really did happen.
Some guy that was on the bus, and then some other guy gets on the bus, being disruptive, and the guy supposedly asked him to behave himself or whatever, calm down, and I don’t know if that’s what started the fight, but next thing you know, he was shot.”
The man remained on the phone with his wife and tracked the location of her phone. Coincidentally, she had visited Peachtree Center just before Tuesday’s shooting there, too.
The man said, “She called me after lunch and said, ‘You are not going to believe this – there was a shooting in the food court.'”
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens stated on Tuesday evening, “It’s unfortunate that today, in two different instances, I am coming before the media with Chief Schierbaum, talking about acts of gun violence in our region, in our city, and I’m thankful for the partnerships that we have.”
Mayor Dickens expressed empathy for the victims who underwent a “frightening journey” through multiple jurisdictions and said his heart went out to the victim who was shot and his loved ones.
He said, “Let me be clear: we’re talking about gun violence that is a result of too many people having guns in their hands.” He added that the bus hijacker and Peachtree Center shooting suspect, both convicted felons, should not have been allowed to access guns.
