Georgia man steals bus, leaves passenger at Waffle House, drives to Stone Mountain Park, police say

A man was arrested Sunday after allegedly stealing a MARTA bus with a passenger aboard, dropping them off at a Waffle House and then driving it to Stone Mountain Park, according to officials.

Jamaurie Lee, of Stone Mountain, boarded the bus at Lawrenceville Highway and Steel Drive in Tucker around 5 p.m. and began threatening the driver, MARTA police told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The threats came after the driver told the 28-year-old that he didn’t have enough money for the fare, according to 95.5 WSB Radio.

When the bus driver went to report the threats, the suspect stole the vehicle, police said. For unknown reasons, he drove roughly eight miles to the park, but not before dropping off the passenger at the all-day breakfast joint, the radio station reported.

Lee’s escapade was cut short when he tried to make a U-turn at the park entrance but didn’t know how to put the bus in reverse, park police spokesperson John Bankhead confirmed to the AJC.

A park officer spotted the bus and immediately suspected something was wrong, Bankhead said. The officer approached Lee and asked him if he was the driver. When he said no, he was detained, and MARTA police arrived to make the arrest.

No injuries were reported, and the bus was not damaged, police said.

Lee faces multiple charges, including second-degree hijacking a motor vehicle, terroristic threats and theft. He could face additional charges if police can locate the passenger who was dropped off.