Joseph Grier, left, allegedly murdered a man and hijacked a bus in Atlanta. Hours earlier, Grier gave an interview to a TV station claiming he saw another shooting at a local mall. (WXIA/YouTube)
A man allegedly murdered a man and proceeded to hijack a bus with 14 passengers, leading police on a chase through the Atlanta area. But just before that incident, the suspect, 39-year-old Joseph Grier, showed up at a different crime scene, claiming he saw another shooting at a local mall.
According to Atlanta police, Grier is charged with murder and 14 counts each of kidnapping and hijacking a motor vehicle, among other charges. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Grier got onto the bus in downtown Atlanta around 4:20 p.m. Tuesday. He began arguing with a man, later identified as 58-year-old Earnest Byrd Jr., who took out a gun. Grier allegedly took the gun, threatened other passengers and shot Byrd. He then forced the bus driver to keep going, leading officers on a chase that traveled from downtown Atlanta to Gwinnett County and east into DeKalb County, the GBI said.
