Passenger threatens driver and takes bus on joyride to Stone Mountain Park, GA cops say
A man was arrested after police said he hijacked a public transit bus, then took it on a joyride that ended outside Georgia’s Stone Mountain Park.
Officers were called around 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 3, about a person accused of stealing a Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority bus in DeKalb County, WSB-TV reported, citing MARTA police.
Officials said the man, 28, boarded the bus without paying and threatened the driver when he was told he couldn’t ride, Sgt. Ron Philistin told WANF. Another passenger paid his fare, but the man became “disorderly” and continued to hurl threats at the driver.
Fearing for his safety, the driver pulled over at a gas station and got off the bus, police said.
“The suspect followed him and started making more threats,” Philistin told WSB Radio. “The operator continued to the gas station; and once he got inside, he saw the suspect boarding the bus and closing the door.”
The man took off, taking the bus on a 20-minute drive, police told the station. At one point, authorities said he dropped another passenger off at a Waffle House.
The man was eventually arrested at Stone Mountain Park and charged with hijacking, a police spokesperson told WXIA.
McClatchy News reached out to MARTA police on Dec. 4 and was awaiting a response.
This story was originally published December 4, 2023 at 3:59 PM with the headline "Passenger threatens driver and takes bus on joyride to Stone Mountain Park, GA cops say."