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The Brief
A bus was hijacked by a gunman in South LA overnight.
The suspect then led LAPD officers on a slow-speed pursuit to
downtown LA.
Some passengers were able to get off the bus during the pursuit.
After multiple spike strip deployments, the bus stopped on
Alameda Street, between 6th and 7th streets.
One passenger was shot and killed.
The bus driver and another passenger were unharmed, while the
suspect was arrested.

LOS ANGELES - Officials said one person was killed after a
gunman hijacked and took hostages on an MTA bus in downtown Los
Angeles.

Investigators said it all began around 1 a.m. Wednesday on S.
Figueroa Street and Imperial Highway in South LA�s Vermont Vista
neighborhood when the Los Angeles Police Department received
reports of a shooting. A short time later, officers became
notified of a bus that was hijacked going southbound on Figueroa
Street.

Video from the scene shows the moments when LAPD officers were
on a slow-speed pursuit of the bus while the bus driver was
being held hostage by a man armed with a gun. Investigators said
some passengers were able to exit the bus during the pursuit.

Following multiple spike strip deployments, the bus eventually
came to a stop on Alameda Street, between 6th and 7th streets,
with four people inside � the suspect, the bus driver and two
passengers.

SWAT crews moved in and deployed flash bangs aiming to get the
suspect to surrender. That�s when investigators said the bus
driver was pulled to safety.

As the hostage situation continued to unfold, the passenger who
was shot was rushed to an area hospital where he was pronounced
dead by medical personnel.

"My thoughts are with the loved ones of the individual who was
tragically killed early this morning. Every Angeleno has the
right to go about their lives safely � especially on our public
transportation systems and I will be urgently working with the
members of the Metro Board as well as our Chair and Metro CEO to
enhance the safety strategies that we implemented earlier this
year," LA Mayor Karen Bass said in a released statement.

The statement continued to say, "What happened this morning was
completely unacceptable and has no place in Los Angeles. I want
to thank the bus operator involved for their courageous and
swift response as well as LAPD officers for their work to
apprehend the suspect. While the investigation is still ongoing,
I want to be very clear that those involved must be held fully
accountable to the rule of law."

Despite the terrifying circumstances, a witness said the bus
driver kept calm throughout the incident.

"All I heard was the boom and then I pulled out my camera and
started watching from my camera. It was really wild. Props to
the driver. He kept his composure pretty well," said witness
Steven Johnson.

He's also being praised by law enforcement.

"This operator continued to operate the bus in as safe as a
manner as he could under the circumstances with police trailing
him for an hour before the spike strips took effect. I think the
world of the operator," said LAPD Transit Bureau Dep. Chief
Donald Graham.

"Metro is grateful for the LAPD's swift action regarding this
morning's bus hijacking incident and is grateful the operator
was unharmed. Metro is providing the operator with the support
he needs," Metro said in a statement. "This is still an active
investigation being led by the LAPD."

Eventually, the suspect was apprehended and arrested at the
scene. His name has not been released.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn released the following
statement:

"The hijacking of a Metro bus in Downtown Los Angeles late last
night and the tragic murder of a passenger was a nightmare. I am
grateful to our Metro bus driver who showed incredible composure
in activating a silent alarm to alert law enforcement, and to
the LAPD who responded to a difficult and dangerous situation.
We still have unanswered questions about how this happened and I
expect Metro to work closely with both law enforcement and
prosecutors as they seek justice for the victim�s family. We
need ways to prevent people from bringing weapons onto our Metro
buses and trains, and the sooner we can find solutions to
prevent tragedies like this, the better."

The LAPD�s South Homicide Bureau detectives continue to
investigate the deadly incident. S. Alameda Street between
Factory Place and 7th Street is expected to be closed through
the morning for the investigation.

https://www.foxla.com/news/downtown-la-bus-hijacked-passenger-
killed

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