MARTA Shooting Suspect Arrested in Alabama After Officers Injured

ATLANTA, Georgia — A man accused of shooting two MARTA officers at the Five Points station was arrested in Guntersville, Alabama, authorities said Friday afternoon.

The incident took place late Thursday night, August 7, around 11:30 p.m. when officers confronted Christopher Daniels, 26, for urinating near a train platform. According to MARTA Police Chief M. Scott Kreher, Daniels refused to comply with police requests, and as officers attempted to handcuff him, he pulled a gun and fired multiple shots.

The two injured officers were identified as Rayven Thomas and Carlos Williams. Williams sustained a gunshot wound to his arm and was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital for surgery. Thomas, who was grazed by a bullet in the knee, was released from the hospital but is experiencing temporary hearing loss due to the gunfire proximity.

Kreher confirmed that neither officer fired their weapons during the confrontation. Witnesses described seeing one officer being loaded into an ambulance while some passengers were informed their trains would bypass the station due to a “medical emergency.”

“Both of the officers are extremely lucky to be alive today,” Kreher stated. “That firearm was going off next to our officer’s head.”

The chief also noted that firearms are currently permitted on MARTA trains, indicating the signage is outdated and does not reflect the state’s open carry law. He urged elected officials to reevaluate policies regarding weapons on public transportation.

Following the shooting, Daniel boarded a MARTA train without being noticed and traveled two stops south. Surveillance footage showed him leaving the train at the West End station, where he reportedly discarded the firearm on the roof. He was apprehended by the Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force less than 24 hours later.

Details about how Daniels traveled to Alabama remain unclear, including whether he had any connections there. He was taken into custody during a traffic stop in his vehicle without resistance. Daniels is set to be extradited to the Fulton County Jail, where he faces multiple charges, including two counts of aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during a commission of a crime.

Rail services at the Five Points station were temporarily suspended but resumed normal operations early Friday morning. MARTA reported that bus shuttles had been used to transport passengers to other nearby stations during the investigation.

Five Points station is a key transit hub in Atlanta, located near Georgia State University, which is preparing for the start of its fall semester on August 25. Despite the shooting incident, Kreher highlighted that violent crime at MARTA stations has decreased significantly this year, with aggravated assaults down by 32%.