FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is seeking not to have her office prosecute a case for a man accused of killing a passenger and hijacking a Gwinnett County transit bus on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, Willis sent a letter to the Prosecuting Attorneys Council of Georgia's Executive Director Peter Skandalakis, asking for a different office to take over the case and for her office to be recused. Willis said that the office is facing a conflict of interest because it's been discovered that one of the 17 passengers who were taken hostage on the chase is a current employee of the D.A.
The suspect in this case is 39-year-old Joseph Grier. Jail records show he is being charged with murder, 14 counts of kidnapping, hijacking a motor vehicle in the first degree, 14 counts of aggravated assault, possession of a firearm or knife during the commission of or attempt to commit certain felonies and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Officers with the Atlanta Police Department were called to 45 Ivan Allen Junior Boulevard NE in Atlanta on Tuesday, where a report stated that someone had hijacked the bus.
According to new information from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Grier was a passenger on board the bus who got into an argument with another male passenger. As the fight escalated, that other passenger pulled out a gun, which Grier took and began threatening passengers with it.
"Grier then shot the passenger and ordered the bus driver to flee the scene while threatening passengers with the gun," the release said.
Authorities said Grier led a pursuit across multiple jurisdictions with 17 passengers on board. The chase ended in Stone Mountain, where the bus was disabled by law enforcement using spike strips and a BearCat armored vehicle.
It is currently unclear whether Skandalakis will accept Willis' request to recuse her office and who will take over the prosecution if this is accepted. However, 11Alive will provide an update once we know more information.
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