Bus Hijacking Turns Deadly in LA

Suspect allegedly shot passenger, held gun to driver's head
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 25, 2024 8:51 AM CDT

A passenger on a public bus in Los Angeles was fatally shot early Wednesday after a suspect allegedly hijacked the vehicle and led police on a chase, per KTLA. After the suspect pulled out a gun during a dispute, the driver pushed a button that caused a "Call 911" message to display on the bus's exterior while in the Vermont Knolls neighborhood of South Los Angeles shortly before 1am, the outlet reported. An unknown number of passengers were reportedly trapped as the suspect allegedly held a gun to the driver's head. At a press conference later Wednesday, Deputy Chief Donald Graham said the driver "continued to operate the bus in as safe a manner as he could under the circumstances, with the police trailing him for an hour," per NBC News.

Police used spike strips to bring the bus to a stop in the downtown area around 2:10am, per ABC News. Footage shared online showed police around an orange bus, saying, "You're surrounded, come out with your hands up," per NBC. A SWAT team was able to rescue the uninjured driver and another person from the bus, at which point the suspect was taken into custody, per ABC. It was then that police found another person suffering from multiple gunshot wounds inside the bus, per the outlet. The individual was pronounced dead at a hospital. Police said they were still investigating what led to the shooting. LA Metro said it was "grateful for the LAPD's swift action." (More Los Angeles stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X