Bus hijacking suspect witnessed Peachtree Center shooting in Atlanta, was interviewed by reporters

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - The suspect in Tuesday’s deadly bus hijacking also witnessed the Peachtree Center mall shooting in downtown Atlanta that same day.

Joseph Grier, 39, is accused of killing a man on a Gwinnett County transit bus and leading police on a 45-minute chase while threatening the driver and other engers. But about two hours before the incident occurred, Grier spoke with Atlanta News First and other media outlets about what he saw at the mall.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Officials identify suspect in Peachtree Center mall shooting that injured 4 people

Grier told reporters that he ran to hide in a nearby Wells Fargo bank when the gunshots rang out in the mall’s food court at around 2:15 p.m. He also said he had bipolar disorder and had been off of his medication for two weeks.

“I’m in a manic episode. That’s what this is called, where you’re almost about to get in trouble,” he said. “Right now, I’m in an extreme mood.”

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Everything we know about the deadly Gwinnett County bus hijacking

Grier said he couldn’t own a gun due to previous prison time. He mentioned sizing up the gunman, saying he could have grabbed the gun from him if it were a pistol.

According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), Grier boarded the Gwinnett County transit bus at around 4:20 p.m. The bus stop is about five blocks north of Peachtree Center.

Once he got on board, Grier got into a fight with another enger, the GBI said. The other man pulled out a gun, and Grier allegedly took the gun from him, threatening the other engers before fatally shooting the man.

Grier then told the bus operator to drive, leading several law enforcement agencies in a chase. The pursuit ended in DeKalb County when a Georgia State Patrol trooper shot the bus’ engine out, according to the GBI.

Grier faces more than two dozen charges, including murder, aggravated assault and kidnapping.

Atlanta News First spoke with Grier’s father, who declined to comment on camera but confirmed his son has bipolar disorder and is off his medication.

Meanwhile, 34-year-old Jeremy Malone was arrested in connection to the Peachtree Center shooting. Police say he got into a fight with a 47-year-old man in the food court and shot him. He then allegedly walked further into the court, shooting two women aged 69 and 70, police said.

Malone was shot by an off-duty Atlanta police officer and taken into custody. All four people shot in the incident are expected to survive.

Atlanta police said the two incidents are not related.

Editor’s note: Atlanta News First has decided not to run the interview our crews had with the suspected hijacker due to what he said about his mental health and the ongoing police investigation into the case.

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