Man accused of shooting 2 Atlanta transit police officers captured in Alabama

ATLANTA (AP) — A man was arrested Friday in Alabama after investigators said he shot two Atlanta transit police officers who were confronting him for urinating in a train station.

Officials said Christopher Daniels, 26, was captured in Guntersville, Alabama, and was being held in jail there pending extradition back to Georgia.

He’s accused of shooting two Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority police officers as they tried to arrest him late Thursday. Officer Carlos Williams was shot in the arm and was scheduled to undergo surgery Friday afternoon. Officer Rayven Thomas was released from the hospital to recover at home after her knee was grazed. She also reported temporary hearing loss because she was so close when the gun was fired.

MARTA Police Chief M. Scott Kreher tells reporters that when Williams and Thomas approached Daniels to stop him from urinating, he became irate and refused to cooperate. When the officers decided to arrest Daniels, Kreher said he took out a handgun and began shooting over his shoulder at the officers.

The shooting happened just before midnight at MARTA’s Five Points station, the downtown transfer point for the system’s trains.

Cameras show the man then got on a train and rode two stops south, throwing his gun on the roof of the West End station. Police haven’t publicly identified the man but say they know who he is and the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force is looking for him. The gun has been recovered.

Officials plan to charge Daniels with aggravated assault, obstruction, public indecency and possessing a gun while committing a felony. The Associated Press could not identify contact information for Daniels on Friday.

“It’s not only a relief to our officers, and to our injured officers, but also it should be to the public, that somebody who is willing to shoot a police officer is now in custody and not on the street,” Kreher said at a news conference.

The chief said crime is down on MARTA buses and trains and no homicides have been reported on the transit system this year. Two homicides were reported in 2024. He said officers have been trying to crack down on nuisance activities including smoking, drinking and urinating at MARTA stations.

“The message is MARTA is safe,” Kreher said. “Our officers were doing what they were supposed to do.”