A man suspected of shooting two MARTA police officers was taken into custody Friday afternoon in Alabama after an extensive search, officials said.
Christopher Daniels, 26, will be extradited to the Fulton County Jail, where he will face multiple charges, including two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of felony obstruction, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime and public indecency.
He is accused of shooting the officers as they confronted him for urinating near a platform at a downtown Atlanta MARTA station Thursday night.
“It’s not only a relief to our officers and to our injured officers, but should be to the public that somebody that’s willing to shoot a police officer is now in custody and not on the street,” police Chief M. Scott Kreher said in a news conference.
The injured officers, Rayven Thomas and Carlos Williams, were taken to Grady Memorial Hospital and are expected to recover, according to Kreher. Williams was shot in his arm, and Thomas had a graze wound to her knee.
Credit: MARTA Police Department
Credit: MARTA Police Department
The situation unfolded at the Five Points station around 11:30 p.m. Thursday.
When the officers saw Daniels, they “approached him to let him know that that’s not proper behavior, and that they were probably going to give him a quick suspension from the system, let him walk away,” Kreher told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
He added: “But once they approached him, he became very irate and refused to cooperate.”
As the officers tried to handcuff Daniels, he pulled out a handgun and fired several times over his shoulder, Kreher said. The suspect then took a train to the West End station, where he tossed the gun atop its roof, the chief added.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
U.S. marshals searched for Daniels through the night and tracked him to Guntersville, Alabama, a small town about 150 miles northwest of Atlanta and along the Tennessee River’s southernmost bend into the state.
Kreher said Daniels was driving when U.S. marshals caught up to him and took him into custody. The chief was not aware of any connections Daniels may have to Alabama. He was alone when he was arrested.
At the Five Points station early Friday morning, there was no sign of the chaos from the night before. There were no disruptions to MARTA operations related to the incident.
“MARTA is safe. Our officers were doing what they’re supposed to do,” Kreher said. “The public can rest assured that we’re out there and we’re trying to keep them as safe as possible.”
Kreher said Thomas has been released from the hospital but has some hearing loss in one ear because of the proximity to the gunfire.
“She’s expected to make a full recovery from that,” he said.
Williams was in surgery Friday afternoon to repair a bone in his arm that was broken by the bullet. He was “in good spirits” before surgery, Kreher said.
The incident comes as the transportation agency weathers leadership upheaval and criticism, including over its handling of large events that draw big crowds to stations.
After a July 14 Beyoncé concert, an escalator malfunctioned, leaving at least 21 injured.
A few days later, the agency’s general manager and CEO, Collie Greenwood, announced his early retirement. MARTA’s board attorney previously said Greenwood, who is Canadian, is leaving “because of immigration and personal matters.”
MARTA is no stranger to violence at its stations, though officials have stressed the transportation agency is safe. In May, for example, two people were shot during what police said was an attempted robbery. Both victims survived, and no arrests have been made, a MARTA spokesperson confirmed Friday.
But “the reality is MARTA’s crime, violent crime in particular, is significantly down this year,” Kreher said Friday.
Violent crimes, such as shootings, stabbings and robberies, are down by 32% this year, the chief said.
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