Passenger dies when gunman hijacks city bus, police chase through downtown Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A passenger was killed when a gunman hijacked a city bus in Los Angeles early Wednesday morning, leading to a low-speed chase with police through downtown before the suspect was finally arrested, authorities said.

The armed man boarded the Metro bus with the driver and two passengers shortly before 1 a.m. in South Los Angeles, according to Los Angeles police. Police called it a kidnapping.

Officers approached the bus as it slowly rolled away, and police pursued it while the driver drove at gunpoint for the next hour. It doesn’t appear the suspect was ever behind the wheel, police said.

Police used spike strips that punctured one of the tires. After traveling more than 11 kilometers, the bus finally came to a stop at a downtown intersection and the suspect turned himself in, officials said.

Television news showed the bus driver climbing out of a bus window.

GRAPHIC WARNING: The videos in this story may contain disturbing content.

A man was found on the bus with gunshot wounds, but details of the incident were not immediately available. The victim was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, ABC 7 reported.

The second passenger was not injured.

Metro said in a statement that the bus driver is doing well and is receiving the necessary support.

The police praised the driver for keeping calm.

“This driver operated the bus as safely as he could under the circumstances, and police pursued him for an hour before the nail barriers finally took effect,” Deputy Chief Donald Graham told reporters at the scene.

The murder is the latest in a series of violent incidents on Los Angeles’ public transit. In May, Mayor Karen Bass called for increased security measures on bus and rail routes.

Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.