Atlanta hijacker who led police on wild chase in crowded public bus recognized

Atlanta police have recognized the alleged hijacker who they are saying held a bus motive force at gunpoint and held the rest 17 commuters hostage as he led police on a 15-mile chase thru more than one jurisdictions, at the side of the passenger he shot useless.

Joseph Grier, 39, used to be taken into custody with out incident after a chase that spanned more than one jurisdictions and concerned more than one companies, the Atlanta Police Division wrote in a commentary. The push-hour chase zigzagged throughout freeway lanes and suburban streets, with the bus careening into different automobiles and crossing into opposing site visitors. 

Grier used to be booked into the Fulton County Prison on greater than two dozen fees, together with homicide, 14 counts of kidnapping, 13 counts of irritated attack, hijacking a motor car, and ownership of a firearm through a convicted felon, consistent with on-line prison data.

Atlanta Police Leader Darin Schierbaum mentioned at a Tuesday press convention that Grier used to be a convicted felon with 19 earlier arrests, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.

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In line with the Georgia Division of Corrections, Grier used to be remaining launched from Stanley Baldwin State Jail a decade in the past after serving time for an irritated attack in 2011. He has additionally served time for ownership of a knife throughout a fee of against the law, the company instructed Fox 5 Atlanta.

Schierbaum additionally introduced the id of the slain passenger, 58-year-old Earnest Byrd Jr., on the convention.

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A hijacked bus barrels down an Atlanta freeway. (WAGA)

Grier’s father’s spouse instructed Fox 5 Atlanta that the hijacking suspect used to be identified with bipolar dysfunction and schizophrenia, had struggled with psychological sickness for 16 years and have been receiving scientific remedy.

She described Grier as having a comfortable, calm and loving demeanor when he’s well-rested and taking his medicine. However he had stopped following his remedy plan after shedding a role just lately, she mentioned, and had no longer been getting a lot sleep. 

She instructed the opening that members of the family have been encouraging him to relaxation as just lately as the day before today and that she grew to become at the information herself to look at the police chase in growth after receiving a decision from a chum.

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Atlanta police mentioned the suspect is 39-year-old Joseph Grier. (WAGA-TV)

“My God, Lord have mercy, it is Joseph,” she mentioned. “I think dangerous. My middle is going out to the opposite circle of relatives, however it will were such a lot worse. There have been 17 other folks on that bus. Assume they all were given shot?”

Atlanta Police Zone 5 officials replied to the hostage state of affairs at 45 Ivan Allen Jr. Blvd. NE at roughly 4:35 p.m. As they approached, the bus reportedly fled the site. Seventeen passengers had been trapped onboard.

Grier had gotten right into a combat with some other passenger at the Gwinnett County Transit bus, the Georgia Bureau of Transportation wrote in a commentary. 

“Grier took the gun from the passenger and started threatening passengers with it,” the GBI mentioned of their information liberate. “Grier then shot the passenger and ordered the bus motive force to escape the scene whilst threatening passengers with the gun.”

A passenger trapped within the bus with the gunman had surreptitiously referred to as 911, in line with the clicking convention. Some other name quickly got here from the circle of relatives of some other passenger, who had texted them concerning the hijacking.

Police controlled to prevent the bus with spike strips close to Hugh Howell Highway in Stone Mountain after a 15-mile chase up I-85.

Video shot through FOX 5 Atlanta displays police main Grier clear of the bus in handcuffs after it stopped in neighboring DeKalb County. 

Video additionally shot through the station seems to turn the bus hitting a number of cars sooner than it got here to a prevent.

One passenger with a gunshot wound used to be taken to a space health center, the place they succumbed to their accidents. No different passengers had been injured, the company wrote. 

Police mentioned their investigation is ongoing.

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The chase got here no longer lengthy after a gunman opened fireplace on a number of other folks at a meals court docket in downtown Atlanta sooner than an off-duty officer shot him, finishing the incident.

Fox Information Virtual’s Bradford Betz contributed to this document.