Video shows man falling onto MARTA tracks, passengers rushing to help

MARTA surveillance video shows the man falling off of the platform, onto the tracks.

ATLANTA -- There was danger, heroism and a life saved, all on the MARTA tracks Monday afternoon.

A man fell onto the tracks at the Five Points Station in Downtown Atlanta, just as a train was approaching.

It was just after 5:00 p.m. The afternoon rush hour.

MARTA surveillance video shows many bystanders rushing in to help save the man.

And they did save him.

He is Kenneth Hunter, 50, of Decatur.

Hunter spoke Tuesday of how grateful he is to all those total strangers who risked their lives to save his.

But he struggled to put into words the story that the surveillance video does not show.

What is clearly obvious from the video is this:

Fate and lives intersected on the parallel tracks of MARTA's eastbound line that afternoon.

First, you can see Kenneth Hunter falling onto the platform and then falling to the side, off of the platform and out of sight and onto the tracks, just as the next eastbound train is approaching.

"I heard the screaming," said MARTA Police Officer Deonte Robinson Tuesday. He was one floor above the platform, and ran down the escalator, "and I see a patron on the tracks, and at the same time I see a train approaching."

As Officer Robinson ran toward the edge of the platform, he was calling on his radio for the power to be shut off, to prevent Hunter from being electrocuted by the third rail, and to stop the on-coming train.

Then Robinson jumped onto the tracks to get Hunter out, before he knew if the power was off.

"I didn't know when I came down if the power had been cut or not. I just saw a patron in distress" and he jumped onto the tracks, instinctively knowing how to avoid contact with that third rail.

"We heard screams," said one of the passengers on the platform, Rob Roberts, "and a man had fallen in."

Roberts, of Warren, Michigan, is in Atlanta for a teachers' convention.

The video shows Roberts and other passengers rushing in to help.

At first, Roberts is on his knees, leaning down toward the tracks, trying to grab Hunter's hand, but "he wasn't responsive."

Then you can see Roberts jumping onto the tracks to help lift Hunter out, not knowing if he would touch the third rail while helping Hunter.

"There were other people trying to push him up at the time," Roberts said, "they were lifting him, and I kind of gave his backside an extra push to get him up there.... It was a little scary. And I wasn't sure, you know, jumping down there, whether or not the train was going to be on us. And then the train did come, but it stopped at the entrance."

Officer Robinson's quick response -- radioing fellow officers to cut the power at the same time he was rushing to assist Hunter -- might have saved many lives in addition to Hunter's. 

"It was a team effort," said Officer Robinson, "from the supervisors down to my fellow officers. If it wasn't for the quick thinking of Officer White who directed Officer Littles to hit the trip-switch to cut the power, maybe the outcome wouldn't have been so great. Also we had a lot of heroic patrons that also helped save the guy from the tracks. It was a team effort."

Then -- the investigation.

The police report says Hunter "had a strong alcohol odor on his breath."

So officers decided they had to charge Hunter with public drunkenness, and with reckless conduct that put other lives at risk to save his.

Tuesday evening, I found Kenneth Hunter back home at his small apartment in Decatur, where he lives alone.

He spoke with me only because, he said, he wanted to express his appreciation for his rescuers.

"I don't know how I slipped, but I fell, there," Hunter said.

Hunter was deeply apologetic, and grateful.

And I could not help but see, on the walls and shelves of his apartment, 20-year-old photos and commendations -- personal and official records of service in the U.S. Army that speak silently and powerfully about his life long before that life-threatening, Monday mishap on the MARTA tracks. A life Hunter was reluctant to discuss.

He is a retired Army Major, a veteran of the first war in Iraq.

And I saw 20-year-old war wounds, including his right knee shattered by enemy gunfire. And in his face I saw 20-year-old memories of service to his country, and I saw pain and embarrassment from his one-day-old memory.

Pain pills, he said -- he'd had an unexpected, bad reaction to prescription pain pills on that MARTA platform, "and had me kind of, like, intoxicated."

"So it was pills?"

"Correct."

"Not alcohol?"

"No, it was pills."

Army Major Kenneth Hunter (Ret.) is ready to face a judge about what made him lose his balance Monday afternoon and fall onto those tracks.

But he wanted to say Thank You to Officer Robinson, and to Rob Roberts, and to all the others --
who didn't know they were risking their lives for a troubled man who once risked his, for theirs.

"They took care of me, I'm alive, now.... They came in there and took care of everything, and I'm grateful."

__________

 

On Twitter:  @JonShirek

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Woman shot in robbery near NE Atlanta park

ATLANTA -- A woman is recovering after being shot in the thigh during attempted robbery near Gilliam Park in northeast Atlanta on Tuesday. 

According to police, the woman was walking her dog when she was approached by a man who asked for the time. When the woman looked down the suspect produced a gun and demanded her phone. 

During the attempted robbery, the woman's dog became agitated and the suspect fired one shot hitting the woman. The suspect fled the scene on foot. 

The woman was transported to a local medical center. She suffered non-life-threatening injuries. 

APD officials are investigating the incident, at this time. The suspect was not located. 

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Family says Barnesville hit-and-run suspect has been arrested

Saturn Vue, similar to the one that hit Alex Desir

GORDON COUNTY, Ga. -- The family of the a woman fatally struck by a hit-and-run driver on Saturday told 11Alive News that the suspect was arrested and charged on Tuesday night. 

RELATED | GSP seeks car in fatal Barnesville hit & run

The victim, 20-year-old Alex Desir, was struck and killed walking on a sidewalk along a stretch of highway in Barnesville just before midnight Saturday.

Alex was walking to Huddle House where she worked part time, while attending Gordon College in Barnesville, studying to be a nurse.

According to Dee Philips, Desir's aunt, Barnesville Police called her to confirm the arrest on Tuesday evening. 

Barnesville Police said they would release information on the arrest Wednesday morning; authorities would not release any further details. 

Georgia State Troppers say they have located the suspect's vehicle and a person is being questioned, charges have not been filed at this time. 

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GSP seeks car in fatal Barnesville hit & run

Saturn Vue, similar to the one that hit Alex Desir

LOCUST GROVE, Ga. -- The Locust Grove family of 20-year-old Alex Desir, a student killed by a hit-and-run driver Saturday night while walking to her job, pleaded with the driver Monday night to surrender.

"Whoever it is, please just come forward," said Alex's older sister, Gabrielle Desir, to 11Alive's Jon Shirek. "I just don't understand why you would just leave her there." Gabrielle was weeping. "She wouldn't hurt anybody."

Alexander Noelle "Alex" Desir was a nursing student with a part-time job and a big personality.

Now, the Georgia State Patrol has issued a statewide alert for the car that hit her.

The five words of her family:

"She had the kindest heart."

Alex's mother, Simone Desir, wants everyone to know those five words about her.

Alex was struck and killed walking on a sidewalk along a stretch of highway in Barnesville just before midnight Saturday.

Alex was walking to Huddle House where she worked part time, while attending Gordon College in Barnesville, studying to be a nurse.

"She was kind to everyone," Simone said through her tears. "And even kids that don't know her, they always just migrate to her because she has that spirit about her."

The Georgia State Patrol believes the car that struck Alex was a Saturn Vue. They said in a statement that "a turn signal assembly" led investigators to identify the vehicle as a Saturn Vue, "between the model years 2002 and 2005. The vehicle should have damage to the right, front corner of the vehicle. The right corner light should be missing."  Investigators did not know the vehicle's color.

"She wouldn't hurt anybody," Gabrielle said, and spoke of how close they were to each other.

"We love to read, and we would read the same books, and she would send me quotes from our favorite books, all the time.... She was full of life. Her favorite TV show was 'The Office.' And she can quote everything from it. Her favorite color was pink. She loved to cook. She became a vegan recently, so she was cooking vegan meals all the time," and at that, Gabrielle laughed gently. "She wanted to be a nurse, like my mom.... I love her. I miss her."

"I would hope whoever, or whoever knows something about it, that they would," Simone began to say, and then she interrupted herself as she wept: "How do you hit a child in the middle of the night and just let them lay there? For someone else to find them?"

"Nicest person in the world, but too nice, I'd tell her," said Alex's older brother, Jordan Desir.

Alex graduated from Luella high School in 2011.

"The kid is just funny, sarcastic," Jordan said. "She would be a great nurse, because she loves people. I mean, she's a people person. She's shy, at first. But once you get to know her, she talks a lot."

Alex's two passions outside of school, Jordan said, were "reading and cooking."

Franka Young is with the Georgia State Patrol in Barnesville. She told 11Alive's Marc McAfee Monday that the driver who struck Alex "hit her from behind" as she walked on the sidewalk.

"She was just trying to get to work," Young said, "and someone who was reckless and careless -- not only did they hit her, but they decided to leave the scene, and did not stop to give her any assistance.... How awful it was that a college student, who's just trying to make a life for herself, be something in life, had to die carelessly because of a reckless driver. It's really unfortunate and sad."

Anyone with information about the car or the driver should call the Georgia State Patrol, 770-254-7201.

Visitation:

Friday
July 5, 2013
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. 
Conner-Westbury Funeral Home
1891 West McIntosh Road
Griffin, GA 30223
770-227-2300

Funeral:

Saturday
July 6, 2013
11:00 a.m. 
First Assembly of God Church
2000 West McIntosh Road
Griffin, GA 30223
770-228-2307

__________

On Twitter:

@JonShirek

@MarcMcAfee 

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Smart-phone app allows public to help MARTA police

ATLANTA -- The MARTA Police Department is encouraging riders to download an innovative, new smart-phone app that allows the public to function as an additional set of eyes and ears for the transit system.

The smart-phone app is an extension of the transit system's "See something, say something" program. The app allows riders to call MARTA police directly or take a picture and send a brief message about what seems suspicious or out of place.

"You can take a picture of anything that seems suspicious -- like a package sitting beside you that no one is claiming," says Sgt. Aston Green with MARTA's Emergency Preparedness Unit. "And then you can send that picture directly to our Police Communications Unit."

Atlanta's mass transit system is anticipating one of the year's busiest days Thursday July 4, and is adding staff to enhance security and help riders.

MARTA officials announced Monday they would add 75 civilian staff to help cover train stations during July 4.  The staff are largely administrators.  MARTA has already cancelled off days for its police force, something it does each July 4.

The added staff is designed to help the transit system handle nearly 50,000 expected passengers for July 4 events that include the AJC Peachtree Road Race, fireworks at Lenox and Centennial Olympic Park, and a Braves game at Turner Field.

MARTA officials say they have enhanced the system's operational security July 4 in additional ways they declined to specify.  They've done so as part of a citywide response to security demands deemed necessary in light of the bombings at this year's Boston Marathon.

MARTA officials say July 4 and New Year's Eve are the transit system's busiest day's annually.

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Pedestrian killed Monday evening on I-285

ATLANTA -- The Department of Transportation says a pedestrian was killed Monday evening just before 10 p.m. On Interstate 285 southbound at Cascade Road.

Atlanta police officers were investigating the incident which shut down the interstate for a time. Authorities say the pedestrian was struck by a tractor trailer which remained on the scene. No other information was available.

While that incident was being investigated, in a separate wreck in the same area of the interstate, two tractor trailers, one a U.S. mail truck, crashed together. No one was injured but the DOT says three southbound lanes of I-285 were blocked and mail was scattered over the expressway. All lanes were opened shortly after 3 a.m.

11Alive News

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Cirque du Soleil perfomer dies during show

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- A Cirque du Soleil stunt turned deadly Saturday night in Las Vegas.

Sarah Guyard, 31, died during a show at the MGM Grand hotel and casino.

Guyard, who performed under the stage name "Sassoon" was part of the original cast of "Ka", a long running-Cirque du Soleil show that began in 2006 at the casino.

She was the mother of two children.

The performer was wired 50-feet in the air for one of the show's final "battle" scenes before she fell down to the stage.

According to reports, the show continued momentarily before stopping completely and a record announcement played letting the audience know that refunds would be offered while Guyard was being assisted to.

The cause of death had not been determined as of Sunday afternoon, according to the Clark County, Nevada medical examiner's office.

"Ka" has been canceled indefinitely.

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DeKalb Police South Precinct Opens

New DeKalb Police South Precinct opens near Decatur

DeKalb County, GA --As the DeKalb County Police Department unveils it's new state of the art south precinct, it also hopes to put a scandalous period of history behind it.

The building is named in honor of  Captain Derwin Brown,  who was elected as sheriff in 2000 after a heated run-off.  He promised to clean up systemic corruption.  Just days away from being sworn in he was gunned down and killed outside his home.

The story that emerged after Brown's murder was one out of a crime novel.  The outgoing sheriff, Sidney Dorsey, schemed with associates  to kill his would-be predecessor and was there when the fatal shots were fired.

Dorsey is now behind bars for the rest of his life, and both the sheriff's department and police force have worked to repair the county's once tarnished image.

County Commissioner Stan Watson said the new south precinct is a reflection of that.  A former empty Toys-R-Us building was fully renovated to hold 139 officers, a CSI lab and the latest technology including mobile units,  wifi and cameras. 

It is a space fellow law enforcement officers say Captain Derwin Brown would have been proud of.

"I did not know him myself.   It was before my time here, but everyone who has worked with him were so fond of him. His spirit will live on forever in this community because of the commitment that he gave," said Police Chief Cedric Alexander.

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19 firefighters die battling Ariz. fire

YARNELL, Ariz. (AP) -- A horrible tragedy is unfolding about 85 miles northwest of Phoenix.

Nineteen firefighters have been killed battling a fast-moving wildfire in Yavapai County. An Arizona Forestry spokesman says the firefighters were caught by the fire Sunday afternoon near the central Arizona town of Yarnell.

Evacuations have been ordered in the area.

The sheriff's office has notified residents in the Peeples Valley area and in the town of Yarnell to evacuate.

Earlier, the fast-moving fire prompted evacuations of 50 homes in the Buckhorn, Model Creek and Double A Bar Ranch areas about 85 miles northwest of Phoenix.

The Red Cross said opened a shelter at Yavapai College in Prescott.

The Yarnell Hill Fire now covers nearly 2,000 acres.

The fire started Friday but picked up momentum Sunday as the area experienced high temperatures, low humidity and windy conditions.

Associated Press

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Officer struck in hit and run

ATLANTA -- An officer was involved in a hit and run Saturday morning while trying to direct a car into a parking lot.

Around 3 a.m., Officer Rodney Smither observed a silver Volkswagen back into a parked truck. The car was being driven by David Hamblen. Officer Smither approached Hamblen and asked him if he had hit the parked vehicle.

When Hamblen denied, Officer Smither stepped in front of Hamblen's vehicle to direct him into a parking lot.
Hamblen sped off, striking the officer with the hood of his car, knocking him to the ground.

A lookout was given over the radio and Georgia State Patrol located and stopped Hamblen at Briarcliff Rd and Johnson Rd.

Hamblen was later charged with a DUI, Aggravated Assault and Obstruction. He was transported to Fulton County Jail.

Officer Smither was examined on the scene by Grady EMS and only complained of minor soreness.

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