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A Metro bus runs on 1st Street in Little Tokyo on Tuesday, July 23, 2024. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
One person suspected of hijacking a Metro bus and taking the driver hostage was arrested Wednesday morning and one passenger was fatally shot, the Los Angeles Police Department said.
According to LAPD, police began receiving radio calls at 12:45 a.m. related to an incident that happened on a Metro bus in the area of Manchester Avenue and South Figueroa Street. Police said they located the bus stopped at West 117th Street and South Figueroa Street.
Police attempted to communicate with the driver upon arrival, but the bus pulled away, according to LAPD. The suspect then allegedly led police on a slow-pursuit chase for an hour from South L.A. to downtown L.A. before the person was taken into custody.
“Believing the suspect was armed and still on the bus with hostages, SWAT was requested to respond to the pursuit,” LAPD PIO said in a post on X.
Officers used spike strips to stop the bus at East 6th Street and South Alameda Street, according to police. Police said SWAT deployed a flash-bang device and boarded the bus.
There were a total of four people on the bus, the suspect, the driver, and two passengers, according to police. Officers said they found one passenger suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
“The driver and other passenger were shaken but uninjured,” LAPD said in the post.
The person suffering from multiple gunshot wounds was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to police.
"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. 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," L.A. Mayor Karen Bass said in a press release.
L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn, who chairs the Metro Board of Directors, also released a 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,” Hahn said.
LAPD said the South Bureau Homicide detectives have responded to investigate and search the bus for evidence.
"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,” she said.
