The man who hijacked an Atlanta passenger bus was interviewed by local news reporters just before the incident took place. 39-year-old Joseph Grier witnessed a shooting at the Peachtree Center food court in Downtown Atlanta. He was interviewed by 11 Alive immediately afterward. During the rambling, nearly 4-minute-long interview, Grier said many things, but one common thread stood out. He made it perfectly clear that he has bipolar disorder and he is prone to manic episodes. Grier stated that he had been off of his medication for about two weeks and that he was in an “extreme” mode, a reference to his mania.
A short time later, Grier boarded a passenger bus. An argument broke out between himself and a passenger who appeared to approach a dangerous level from the point of view of an onlooker. The bystander pulled out his gun to break up the fight. Grier, who is 6’5″ and close to 300 pounds, disarmed the gun from the bystander and then shot and killed him with it. Grier then pointed the gun at the driver and demanded that he keep driving without stopping. This prompted a police chase for several miles. Police used tire traps and roadblocks in an attempt to stop the bus. They finally deployed an urban tank to crash into the bus, stopping the chase. Grier, who has 19 prior arrests, was taken into custody.
SOURCES:
He rambled to reporters after a downtown Atlanta shooting. Then, police say, he hijacked a bus | AP News
Atlanta bus hijacking: How the chaotic pursuit unfolded | CNN
Man killed on Gwinnett County bus identified; GBI says he was shot with his own gun – WSB-TV Channel 2 – Atlanta
One Dead After Rush-Hour Hijacking of Commuter Bus in Atlanta – The New York Times
Suspect in armed bus hijacking in Atlanta spoke to local media at a shooting scene hours earlier
Suspect in deadly Gwinnett bus hijacking interviewed as witness to Peachtree Center shooting – YouTube
Suspect Hijacks Bus After Allegedly Killing Passenger: Cops – YouTube
