A rolling gunfight in northwest Atlanta on Thursday morning ended with a head-on crash into another vehicle, leaving a man in critical condition.
The investigation shut down two major intersections along Joseph E. Boone Boulevard during the morning rush.
According to Atlanta police, at least two vehicles were involved in the shooting outside the Georgia World Congress Center that continued about a mile to Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard, where a black Mercedes-Benz crashed into a Chevrolet Trailblazer in the intersection.
A dark Dodge Charger with tinted windows took off after the collision, Maj. Darin Schierbaum told AJC.com from the scene. A passenger in the Mercedes is in critical condition at Grady Memorial Hospital with a gunshot wound.
“We are still trying to put all the facts together,” Schierbaum said. “This is a very fluid scene, early stages of the investigation.”
Police have put out a citywide lookout for the Dodge. Investigators believe the gunfire came from that vehicle, but they have not determined if the occupants of the Mercedes also fired shots, Schierbaum said. They also don’t know if other cars were involved in the gunfight, which started about 6 a.m.
Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM
Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM
“Right now, our investigators are reviewing cameras along this route,” he said. “They are also speaking to witnesses. As they gather more sources, we hope to be able to put more pieces together of what occurred.”
The driver of the Chevy, Bernard Muhammad, said he had the green light on Lowery Boulevard when he saw the Mercedes barreling toward him. He was on his way to work.
“I can see the Mercedes came going west on Joseph E. Boone, made a left turn and ran straight into me, you know, head-on,” he told AJC.com
Muhammad said he didn’t get a good look when several people jumped out and started firing.
“I heard two gunshots as they jumped out and ran,” he said. “When I heard the gunshots, I ducked. Ducked down as low as I could.”
The intersection of Boone and Lowery boulevards reopened just before 9 a.m. All lanes of Northside Drive were also temporarily shut down at Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.
The closures were intended to keep the scenes secure while investigators gathered evidence, police said.
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