A standoff between an armed man barricaded inside a Greyhound bus and the Gwinnett County police SWAT team ended with no one hurt Tuesday afternoon, but traffic on I-85 was blocked for hours in both directions.
Officers were called to the on-ramp from Indian Trail Lilburn Road onto I-85 North around 9:30 a.m., Gwinnett police spokesman Cpl. Ryan Winderweedle said. A man who police said was having a mental health crisis pulled out a gun on the bus, causing the driver to stop and get out of the vehicle, along with nearly 40 passengers.
The interstate was shut down in both directions until about 3 p.m. as SWAT personnel negotiated with the man for several hours before finally entering the bus and taking him into custody. Police later said the negotiators made “numerous attempts” to get the man to drop his gun and exit the bus, but he refused. The man has not been identified and police have not said what charges he may face.
As police negotiated, all I-85 lanes in both directions were shut down from Indian Trail to Beaver Ruin Road.
“Commuters in all directions would have been in harm’s way if the suspect had opened fire,” police said in a news release after the incident.
The interstate closure caused a traffic ripple effect as surface streets in the area became clogged with redirected drivers seeking alternate routes.
In a statement, Greyhound confirmed New York City as the destination of the bus and said the company is “working closely with local authorities to ensure the safety of our passengers and driver.”
A man who was aboard the bus told Channel 2 Action News that he and the other 37 passengers had to escape through a window because the door was locked. However, all passengers were able to exit the bus before the SWAT standoff began and no hostages were ever taken, according to police.
Around 2 p.m., SWAT team members entered the bus and took the man into custody, Winderweedle said. No shots were fired and no one was injured.
“They likely used a flashbang, which SWAT uses to distract somebody when they enter a vehicle or building,” he said.
The suspect was evaluated on scene by Gwinnett fire personnel, according to Winderweedle. Experts with the agency’s behavioral health unit followed the suspect to the Gwinnett County Jail for further assessment and to provide extra resources, if necessary.
The interstate was not immediately reopened as specialists checked the bus for suspicious packages or other dangerous materials. Though all lanes of I-85 were reopened around 3 p.m., the on-ramp remained closed until 4 p.m. while police investigated.
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