Crowded public bus hijacked, taken on wild high-speed chase down Atlanta freeway; 1 killed

A passenger was killed by a gunshot wound after a suspect hijacked a transit bus in metro Atlanta and led authorities on a high-speed chase into a neighboring county, police said.  

Atlanta Police Zone 5 officers responded to a report of gunfire on a Gwinnett County Transit bus and a possible hostage situation near downtown Atlanta around 4:30 p.m. 

Upon arrival, the bus was hijacked. The driver took off, and a pursuit ensued. 

The chase spanned multiple jurisdictions and involved several agencies, Atlanta police said. Police employed various tactics to stop the bus, which ultimately came to a stop near 5107 Hugh Howell Road in Stone Mountain.

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Video shot by a FOX 5 Atlanta showed police leading someone away from the bus in handcuffs after it stopped in neighboring DeKalb County. 

Video also shot by the station appeared to show the bus hit several vehicles before it came to a stop. 

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Police said the suspect is a 39-year-old man. He was taken into custody without further incident. 

An adult victim was found inside the bus with a gunshot wound, police said. The victim was transported to an area hospital by ambulance in critical condition, where they succumbed to their injury. 

More than a dozen passengers were on the bus, but no further injuries were reported. The investigation remains active and ongoing. 

The chase came not long after a gunman opened fire on several people at a food court in downtown Atlanta before an off-duty officer shot him, ending the incident. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.