A man who stabbed a passenger on a Greyhound bus then fled into traffic on I-75 was shot and killed by by five responding Atlanta Police officers.
Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said in a Thursday morning press conference that the GBI would be investigating the officer-involved shooting.
According to Schierbaum, police were called to I-75 southbound right before the Cleveland Avenue overpass just after 1 a.m. with a report of a passenger stabbed on Florida-bound Greyhound bus.
When officers arrived on the scene, they encountered a white male with a knife acting erratically and running in and out of traffic on the interstate, Schierbaum said.
The chief said officers tried to de-escalate the situation and used less lethal methods, including tasers and pepper spray.
“While this was playing out, the man was in traffic lanes with a knife just feet from travelers,” Schierbaum said. “It was a very dangerous situation.”
The suspect then ran up the access ramp to Route 166 and continued to act in an erratic manner. When the individual moved toward the officers in an aggressive way, five officers discharged their weapons, Schierbaum said.
Officers rendered aid, as did Grady EMS, but the suspect later died at Grady Hospital.
“This is never the outcome we want,” Schierbaum said, commending the officers for risking their lives to protect motorists.
The chief would not release the suspect’s name but said he was 39 years old and not a resident of Atlanta. He said it was unclear if the man was having a mental health episode or impaired by drugs.
The man who was stabbed on the the bus was treated at the scene and continued on to Florida.
