A man was taken into custody Tuesday afternoon after he was accused of using a hammer to scare a MARTA bus driver so he could hijack the vehicle.

About 4:20 p.m., a bus passenger used a hammer to strike one of the hand rails, scaring the driver, MARTA spokeswoman Colleen Kiernan told AJC.com. The driver pulled over at Joseph E. Boone Boulevard and Troy Street, and everyone except for the hammer-wielding man got off.

The man, identified as 33-year-old William Robinson, then drove the vehicle to the North Avenue bus loop, where he was arrested by MARTA police, authorities said. There were no injuries and no damage to the bus.

Another bus was sent to pick up the passengers and driver who got off before the suspect drove away, Kiernan added.

Robinson faces counts of armed robbery, aggravated assault, hijacking a vehicle and interference with government property. He has also been permanently banned from all MARTA property.

He remains in the Fulton County Jail without bond, records show.

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Fulton DA Fani Willis (center) with Nathan J. Wade (right), the special prosecutor she hired to manage the Trump case and had a romantic relationship with, at a news conference announcing charges against President-elect Donald Trump and others in Atlanta, Aug. 14, 2023. Georgia’s Supreme Court on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, upheld an appeals court's decision to disqualify Willis from the election interference case against Trump and his allies. (Kenny Holston/New York Times)

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