A gunman hijacked a Metro bus and led Los Angeles police on a wild chase that ended with one passenger dead in downtown LA early Wednesday, according to police.
For more than an hour, a cavalcade of police vehicles followed the bus as it slowly made its way from Vermont Knolls in South Los Angeles north to downtown, and finally stopped after police used spike strips to puncture the tires and surround it. with the SWAT team after 2 am
“This operator continued to operate the bus as safely as possible, with police following him for an hour before the spike strips were finally applied,” LAPD Transit Services Division Deputy Chief Donald Graham said during the event. news conference.
The video from behind the incident shows a series of small explosions when the bus stopped near Alameda and 6th streets, then the police stormed inside with shields. One passenger escaped through a window and the bus driver climbed out of another window and ran to safety behind an armored vehicle while officers moved in.
The chase began near South Figueroa Street and Manchester Avenue at about 12:45 a.m. after the suspect boarded the bus, argued with the driver and shot a passenger as the other passengers ran out, LAPD Officer Rosario Cervantes said.
When calls to 911 began flooding in to dispatchers, the bus driver activated the panic button inside the vehicle, alerting police and triggering an emergency message on a light display outside the bus, police said.
Police found the bus and stopped it briefly at 117th and Figueroa after 1 a.m., but the pursuit continued, Cervantes said. At some point, officers threw spike strips on the bus’s path, ripping out the tires. At times, the bus speeds down the streets in the wrong direction due to tires that are worn down to the rims.
The video shows the bus being chased by more than half a dozen police vehicles as it passes through the city center as onlookers on bicycles take video. A video shows a bus driver waving past a news cameraman as “EMERGENCY 911 CALL POLICE” scrolls across a message board.
One video shows the bus driver staring straight ahead and two other people inside, a man with a backpack twirling his middle finger at the camera and a passenger slumped against the window in a nearby seat. Officers are heard yelling at the cameraman to get off the bus as the chase continues.
When the bus finally stopped and the police stormed in, they found one passenger suffering from multiple injuries, who later died in hospital. The driver and second passenger were treated by paramedics at the scene and released, and the hijacker was arrested.
No one else was injured, Cervantes said. No passengers or suspects were killed.
The LA County Metropolitan Transportation Authority said in a statement Wednesday that it was “thankful for the quick action of the LAPD regarding this morning’s bus hijacking incident and thankful the operator was unharmed.”
LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn called the incident a “nightmare” and thanked the bus driver and law enforcement.
“We still have unanswered questions about this incident and I look forward to Metro working with law enforcement and prosecutors as we seek justice for the victim’s family,” he said. “We need a way to prevent people from bringing weapons onto Metro buses and trains, and the sooner we can find a solution to prevent tragedies like this, the better.”
The hijacking is the latest in a series of violent incidents that have plagued Los Angeles’ transit system. In May, Mayor Karen Bass called for added security on transit lines.
Earlier this year, several stabbings and shootings on buses and trains sparked outrage and calls for change.
In April, Mirna Soza, 66, stabbed to death on the subway on his way home from night shift work and passengers capture the bus driver on video. ask for help after being stabbed.
