ATLANTA — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)), published as received.

ATLANTA - Guillermo Cruz Velazquez, an illegal alien from Mexico, faces federal charges after a handgun he allegedly carried onto a Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) bus in Sandy Springs, Georgia last week fired a bullet that passed through his arm and into another passenger.

“Illegal aliens are not permitted to possess a firearm in our country,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “My office will prosecute criminals who unlawfully possess and misuse dangerous weapons, putting the public’s safety at risk.”

“A firearm in the hands of a prohibited individual is a serious threat to public safety,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Benjamin Gibbons. “ATF works closely with our law enforcement partners to identify and apprehend those who disregard our laws and threaten our communities.”

“The safety of our passengers and employees remains our top priority. This incident resulted in injuries to an innocent individual, and our thoughts are with those affected,” said Chief M. Scott Kreher of the MARTA Police Department. “We are working closely with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners as the investigation continues. Reckless actions that place the public at risk have no place on our transit system, and we remain committed to maintaining a safe environment for everyone who relies on MARTA.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: On July 22, 2026, Guillermo Cruz Velazquez, an illegal alien from Mexico, was traveling on a MARTA bus in Sandy Springs, Georgia, when a firearm allegedly located in his bag discharged a single round that struck a female passenger and himself. After the shooting, the bus pulled over, and Cruz Velazquez allegedly fled the scene on foot. Sandy Springs Police Department officers followed a trail of blood to a nearby parking lot and found Cruz Velazquez with a gunshot wound in his forearm and a bag with a hole in it. From nearby bushes, law enforcement recovered a loaded .45 caliber pistol with a spent cartridge case stuck in the ejection port. 

Guillermo Cruz Velazquez, 53, of Iztapalapa, Mexico, appeared in federal court today on a criminal complaint charging him with unlawful possession of a firearm by an alien illegally or unlawfully present in the United States. Cruz Velazquez will be held in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending further proceedings.

Members of the public are reminded that the complaint only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, MARTA Police Department, and Sandy Springs Police Department, with assistance from Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Enforcement and Removal Operations. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamie Bircoll is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6185. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.