ATLANTA — Three carjacking suspects are behind bars after crashing into a MARTA bus on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, blocking lanes and causing traffic delays Thursday, police said.
Atlanta police told Channel 2 Action News a stolen SUV came out of a southwest Atlanta apartment complex moments before it slammed into the bus on a corner.
Nearly 20 people were on the bus, and one woman said shortly after the crash, she heard gunshots.
"It was like two gunshots, 'Boom, boom.' We all had to end up getting on the floor on the bus," LaTonya Holiday told Channel 2's Kristen Holloway.
Holiday described the frightening moments following the chaos.
TRENDING STORIES:
“Out of nowhere, ‘Boom!’ It’s just this large crash, and it shook the bus,” Holiday said.
Atlanta police said they were in pursuit of the SUV because it was stolen and the people inside were possible carjacking suspects. After the collision, officers arrested three people. Two of the suspects have been identified as Tyreke Daniel and Richard Branford.
The third suspect was not identified because police said he's a juvenile.
Atlanta Police Department officials said an officer’s gun accidentally went off after the crash, but no one was shot.
“It’s a scary situation when you’re looking at the fact that you’re riding on a MARTA bus, thinking that you’re on your way, something out of nowhere as tragic as this happened so quick and so fast,” Holiday said.
Holiday said she and several passengers flew out of their seats and got hurt during the crash.
“My lower back, my right knee, my right hand,” Holiday said. “There was a man who was sitting in the back of the bus, has a walking cane, and he actually shifted towards the back part. There’s a bar on the back, but he said it hurt his back, as well as his right shoulder.”
Holloway contacted the APD to find out when and where the carjacking happened. She’s still waiting to hear back from police.
Cox Media Group
