LOS ANGELES, CA — One person is dead after a gunman hijacked a Los Angeles city bus overnight, leading police in pursuit around the city for more than an hour before the suspect was taken into custody.
A person was found on the Metro bus early Wednesday with gunshot wounds, then died at a local hospital, Los Angeles Police Department Deputy Chief Donald Graham said. The bus driver and a passenger were rescued from the bus after police eventually stopped it with spike strips before a SWAT team moved in for the rescue, he said.
It’s one of the latest examples of ordinary Americans being terrorized by gun violence in places they once believed were safe, from schools to supermarkets to public transit.
Los Angeles police did not immediately have information about the suspect’s motive in Wednesday’s hijacking, and the investigation continues. The suspect was taken into custody without incident, Graham said.
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Bus’ panic button helped alert police
Police responded around 12:45 a.m. to reports of a gunman on the Metro bus, which they found stopped around 117th and Figueroa streets, he said. The bus then drove away, leading police through downtown Los Angeles until it finally was stopped near Alameda and 6th streets.
In addition to 911 calls from the public, an emergency panic button in the bus helped alert police, Graham said.
It’s unclear how many people initially were on the bus. Between the initial 911 reports and when police discovered the bus, several people were seen exiting it, Graham said.
Police are aware of reports of a person hit by a vehicle around where they pursued the bus, though it’s unclear if that incident is connected, he added.
The bus driver “is in relatively good spirits, although a bit shaken up,” Graham said.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
