Los Angeles bus hijaking leads to one passenger shot dead, multiple hostages, suspect arrested after 6 mile slow motion chase before SWAT teams move in and apprehend gunman. No known motive.
California officials have told of one passenger being killed after a gunman hijacked and took hostages on an MTA bus in downtown Los Angeles overnight.
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 LAPD 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 (see below) 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 over the course of 6 miles.
Notice of the hijacking came after the un-names bus driver, was able to active a ‘panic button’ that displays a ‘CALL 911’ outside the MTA bus, with responding police shortly responding, KTLA reported.
Officers began to receive radio calls for a potential assault with a deadly weapon on a bus near South Figueroa Street and Manchester Avenue in the Vermont Knolls neighborhood of South L.A. around 12:45 a.m., Los Angeles Police Department Deputy Chief Donald Graham said during a news conference.
Following multiple spike strip deployments, the bus eventually came to a stop on Alameda Street, between 6th and 7th streets, just on 2am with four people inside – the suspect, the bus driver and two passengers, FOX11 reported.
Once the bus came to a stop, SWAT officers deployed a flash-bang device which allowed the driver to escape by climbing through a window.
🚨 Hostage situation in Los Angeles? Hijacked bus surrounded by Police and Swat!
A suspect shot a passenger on a Los Angeles MTA bus early Wednesday before hijacking the vehicle. #losangeles #usa #BreakingNews #viralvideoシ #trendingnow #news #SWAT #LAPD pic.twitter.com/f3RPpSwbvH
— WW3 NEWS (@WW3XNEWS) September 25, 2024
Suspect linked to previous shooting earlier that evening
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.
Police said SWAT officers also rescued another passenger who was not seriously hurt.
Eventually, the suspect was apprehended and arrested at the scene.
A witness said the bus driver kept his composure throughout the incident.
‘Clearly he was under duress and under the threat of violence … for him to be able to keep his composure is a reflection on the bus operators in the system,’ Graham said about the driver after the incident.
Authorities to date have not released the assailant’s name, while noting that they believed they were linked to another shooting earlier that evening.
‘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.’
No motive was immediately known.
