ONE person was shot dead in connection with a bus hijacking that prompted a police chase through two Georgia counties on Tuesday, ABC News has reported.
The incident began at approximately 4:35 p.m. ET in downtown Atlanta, when police responded to a report of gunfire on a Gwinnett County Transit bus and a “possible hostage situation,” the Atlanta Police Department said.
“Upon the officers’ arrival at the scene, the bus fled the location, and a pursuit ensued,” the Atlanta Police Department said in a press release.
According to Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, the suspect held the bus driver at gunpoint during the hijacking.
CrimesChroniclers learnt that there were 17 people on the bus at the time, including the bus driver.
During the pursuit, police received a 911 call from a family member of an occupant of the bus “saying he was receiving text messages that there had been a hijacking and that individuals were being held hostage against their will,” Schierbaum told reporters during a press briefing Tuesday evening.
Police then received another 911 call made from the bus, which remained open throughout the pursuit and provided information that helped “craft an end of this hostage situation,” the chief said.
The ensuing pursuit spanned multiple jurisdictions, during which police attempted “various tactics” to stop the bus, police said. The vehicle was ultimately disabled by a SWAT vehicle in Stone Mountain in DeKalb County, approximately 16 miles northeast of where the incident began.
DeKalb County SWAT officers “strategically positioned the Bearcat to prevent any avenues of escape,” the DeKalb County Police Department said in a statement.
The suspect, a 39-year-old man from Stone Mountain, was taken into custody without further incident, according to ABC News.
SWAT officers found the gunshot victim while clearing the bus, DeKalb County police said.
The victim was transported in critical condition to a local hospital, where they died, Atlanta police said.
The name of the victim, as of the time of filing this report, had not yet been released, pending family notification.
Investigators are working to determine when the shooting occurred.
