LOS ANGELES, CA – An armed hijacker commandeered a Metro bus early Wednesday morning, setting off a dramatic chase through Los Angeles. The pursuit ended with one man dead and the suspect in custody.
The unsettling sequence started just before 1 a.m. at Figueroa Street and Manchester Avenue, said the Los Angeles Police Department. A suspect wielding a gun hijacked Line 81, which had a driver and two passengers.
While the bus was initially sighted by police at 117th and Figueroa streets, it began to move off slowly as officers approached. The kidnapping scenario saw the driver forced to continue driving, though the suspect never steered the vehicle.
The slow-speed pursuit lasted nearly an hour, with police laying spike strips to finally bring the bus to a forced stop at 6th and Alameda streets downtown. Following this, the suspect surrendered without further resistance, and the bus driver made an escape through a window.
An inspection of the bus revealed a man inside suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Despite being promptly taken to a hospital, he was declared dead. Meanwhile, the other passenger emerged unscathed.
Metro representatives have assured that the bus driver was not harmed and that he is receiving necessary support. Police officials have lauded the driver’s poised performance during the ordeal.
“This operator continued to operate the bus in as safe a manner as he could under the circumstances,” remarked Deputy Chief Donald Graham from the LAPD’s Transit Services Division.