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Drug search of MARTA rider leads to cheese and crackers

ATLANTA — A MARTA bus rider claims she was treated like a criminal after the bus driver thought she had a bag of drugs in her purse. The questionable items turned out to be cheese and crackers.

Myrna Collier, 57, is still livid after she says MARTA police officers pulled her off the bus and questioned her for 30 minutes about drugs inside her purse. The state of Georgia employee was surprised when the officers told her who told them she had the drugs.

“Ma'am, we got a report from the bus driver that you have drugs in your purse,” recalled Collier. “I was horrified. I was afraid.”

She told Channel 2’s Tom Jones she walked past the driver and an officer near the Five Points transit station when she got off the bus. Collier said the driver then went to a nearby police precinct and came back with six to eight officers.

Collier said cheese and crackers got the officers to eventually back off.

“When I pulled out the bag, they all looked dumbfounded,” she said.

Collier said one of the officers apologized, saying they have to act on complaints like this.

But she said the man who initiated all of this has refused to say he’s sorry.

“I still haven't gotten an apology from that bus driver,” Collier said.

Collier said she filed an incident report and wants the driver fired.

A MARTA spokesperson is still gathering information about the ordeal.

MARTA officials apologize for any inconvenience the incident may have caused Collier. But they are doing the best they can to ensure that passengers, employees and the public are safe.