Woman pushed in front of MARTA train; man in custody
Police have a 28-year-old man in custody who allegedly pushed a woman into the path of a MARTA train Sunday afternoon.
Witnesses watched in horror as the incident involving the unidentified man unfolded at the Midtown station on Peachtree Place. A second person tried to save the woman, they said.
According to Channel 2 Action News, both people were hit.
One person, described by MARTA police as a 27-year-old patron, was in surgery, according to a tweet from the agency.
The other person, 58, is in stable condition, MARTA police said in the tweet.
Midtown Update: Suspect, age 28, in custody at this time. Ongoing investigation/charges pending. Patron, age 27, currently in surgery after being struck by train. Patron, age 58, in stable condition (unknown at present if struck by train). Rail service back to normal.
— MARTA Police (@MARTAPolice) August 20, 2018
“I saw a girl jumping try to help her mom but the train was right there,” an unidentified witness told Channel 2 Action News. “It was unavoidable.”
Aiesha Bowden said the train tried to stop, but “it couldn’t.”
It took nearly 30 minutes to rescue the injured, but they were “conscious and alert” when they were taken to a local hospital, MARTA police said.
The emergency situation brought MARTA to a standstill, temporarily closing both the north and south lines.
An emergency situation at Midtwn is causing delays on North/ South line.
— MARTA (@MARTASERVICE) August 19, 2018
The Midtown station was temporarily closed, with northbound bus shuttles transporting passengers to Midtown from North Avenue and southbound shuttles to Midtown from Arts Center.
Update: All trains continue to bypass Midtwn station. NB bus shuttles to Midtwn from North Ave, SB bus shuttles to Midtwn from Arts Ctr.
— MARTA (@MARTASERVICE) August 19, 2018
MARTA reported after 7 p.m. that service had resumed at the station.
Update: Rail service resumed at Midtown. The bus bridge has ended between North Ave, Midtown, & Arts Ctr.
— MARTA (@MARTASERVICE) August 19, 2018
—Please return to AJC.com for updates.
About the Authors
A native Atlantan, Boone joined the AJC staff in 2007. He quickly carved out a niche covering crime stories, assuming the public safety beat in 2014. He's covered some of the biggest trials this decade, from Hemy Neuman to Ross Harris to Chip Olsen, the latter of which was featured on Season 7 of the AJC's award-winning "Breakdown" podcast.
