A person was shot and killed during a bus hijacking that led to a police chase through two Georgia counties on Tuesday.
It started around 4:35 p.m. in downtown Atlanta when police responded to gunfire on a Gwinnett County Transit bus and a possible hostage situation.
When officers arrived, the bus drove off, starting a chase, according to the Atlanta Police Department.
The suspect held the bus driver at gunpoint, said Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens.
There were 17 people on the bus, including the driver, said Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum.
During the chase, police got a 911 call from a family member of someone on the bus, who said they were getting texts about the hijacking and hostages. Another 911 call came from the bus and stayed connected, giving police information to end the situation, the chief said.
The chase went through multiple areas, with police trying different methods to stop the bus. It finally stopped when a SWAT vehicle disabled it in Stone Mountain, DeKalb County, about 16 miles from where it started.
DeKalb County SWAT officers blocked the bus from escaping, the police department said.
The suspect, a 39-year-old man from Stone Mountain, was arrested without further problems.
SWAT officers found a gunshot victim on the bus, who was taken to a hospital in critical condition but later died. The victim’s name hasn’t been released yet.
Investigators are figuring out when the shooting happened. No one else was hurt.
The investigation is ongoing, said Atlanta police.
Earlier on Tuesday, there was another incident where three people were shot at a downtown Atlanta shopping center. An off-duty officer shot the suspect in that case.
The bus hijacker boarded the bus near the shopping center but wasn’t involved in the earlier shooting. Both suspects are convicted felons, Schierbaum said.
Mayor Dickens condemned the gun violence, saying it’s due to too many people having guns.
“We all have to say enough is enough when it comes to too many people having guns and using them in violence,” he said. “I’m thankful for the Atlanta Police Department and all the agencies involved for minimizing what could have been even more dangerous.”