‘Accidental discharge’ of gun on MARTA bus injures 2, transit agency says

Two MARTA bus passengers were injured late Wednesday after a gun’s “accidental discharge,” the transit agency said.

The incident happened around 11:15 p.m. Wednesday in Sandy Springs on MARTA bus route 5 and comes just a month after MARTA leaders, in response to safety questions, urged state lawmakers to ban weapons on trains and buses.

In Wednesday’s incident, two people “were struck by gunfire” when the bus was at the intersection of Roswell and Glenridge roads, MARTA said in a statement.

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One person was hit in the right leg and was said to be stable when taken to a hospital. A man described by MARTA as the suspect was shot in the left forearm. After the shooting, the suspect fled a short distance to the Church of Scientology on Roswell Road, where authorities took him into custody.

The suspect was also taken to a hospital for treatment and will be booked later into the Fulton County Jail, MARTA said. He will face charges of reckless conduct and aggravated assault, according to officials.

“The investigation remains ongoing, but this appears to be an accidental discharge of a firearm by the male and not a targeted incident,” the agency’s statement said.

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The names of the injured individuals have not been released. MARTA did not immediately respond to a question about if there were other passengers on board at the time of the shooting.

In mid-June, MARTA’s interim General Manager and CEO Jonathan Hunt asked the Georgia General Assembly to consider legislation “to prohibit weapons on the MARTA transit system for non-law enforcement personnel, similar to the exemptions that already exist for certain public buildings and government facilities.”

“Prohibiting weapons on MARTA trains, buses, and in our stations would provide law enforcement with a clearer legal framework to address threatening situations and enhance the sense of safety and security for the millions of patrons who depend on the system daily,” Hunt wrote in a June 17 letter to state legislative leaders.

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MARTA also shared the letter publicly as part of its response to Federal Transit Administration authorities and to Georgia House and Senate leaders, who had all asked the agency questions about its safety measures.

Those pointed inquiries came after a spate of violent incidents on MARTA properties in May and June, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported. That includes the fatal stabbing of Margaret Swan, 66, on a train in what officials described as a random attack.

In its reply to federal and state leaders, MARTA described the recent violent incidents as outliers and noted it has reduced year-over-year crime by 8%, the AJC reported.

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