At least one bus passenger was fatally shot after a bus hijacking that prompted a police chase through two Georgia counties in the United States on Tuesday, June 11.
The incident occurred in downtown Atlanta at around 4.35 PM (local time), when police responded to a report of gunfire on a Gwinnett County Transit bus and a possible hostage situation, reported by ABC News.
Police Chasing Hijacked Bus in Atlanta
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens at Press Conference
"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. The suspect held the bus driver at gunpoint during the hijacking, according to Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens.
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One Passenger Shot Dead
According to Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum, there were 17 people on the bus at the time of the situation, including the bus driver. During the chasing, Atlanta Police received a 911 call from a family member of a passenger who was in a hijacked bus "saying he was receiving text messages that there had been a hijacking and that individuals were being held hostage against their will," Schierbaum during a media conference on Tuesday.
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.