A 20-year-old man allegedly shot another passenger twice aboard a MARTA bus Thursday evening after complaining about how the man smelled, according to arrest warrants.
The victim suffered a gunshot wound to the chest and underwent surgery at Grady Memorial Hospital, police said. He remains hospitalized. Authorities have not released his name.
MARTA police identified the suspect as K’Den Dunye Prez Anderson. He faces charges of aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and reckless conduct. MARTA also permanently banned him from its transit system.
According to warrants, Anderson confessed to the shooting during an interview with investigators. He allegedly said he did not like the victim’s smell, which sparked an argument that turned physical before he opened fire, according to 11 Alive.
The shooting happened around 7 p.m. aboard bus 7038 on Route 115 near Covington Highway and Panola Road in DeKalb County, MARTA officials told CBS News Atlanta.
A witness told local vlogger Hood Anchor Ye that the crowded bus had already left passengers tense. The fight broke out when the bus stopped at Panola Road.
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The witness said Anderson asked the victim to move because of his smell. When the man refused, the confrontation allegedly escalated, and Anderson pulled out a gun.
The passenger described running toward the back of the bus and banging on a door while trying to escape.
Witnesses said Anderson was traveling with a woman and a baby. One told Ye, “He ran with a stroller.”
MARTA and DeKalb County police searched the area and detained Anderson at the scene, authorities said. The investigation remains ongoing.
The shooting follows other violent attacks on MARTA that have drawn scrutiny over passenger safety. In June, federal officials launched an investigation into the transit system’s security and safety protocols following two May stabbings, one of them fatal.
Margaret Swan, a 66-year-old retired day care worker and great-grandmother, was killed in the May 30th attack.
Swan was riding home near Oakland City station when a stranger, identified as 25-year-old John Elijah Matthews, allegedly slashed her throat. He then stabbed her 18 more times in the neck and chest as she tried to escape, according to an arrest warrant cited by 11Alive. MARTA police arrested Matthews when he exited the train. Authorities pronounced Swan dead at the scene.
In another case, authorities accused a man of shooting a 17-year-old aboard a train at Midtown station on June 5. The teenager suffered gunshot wounds to his hand and leg, according to federal prosecutors.
Despite those incidents, MARTA reported that overall crime fell 25% in 2025 compared with the previous year. In its June response to federal officials, the agency also reported fewer aggravated assaults and robberies and an increase in police staffing.
