One Person Killed in Bus Hijacking in Los Angeles
A person with a gun hijacked a bus early Wednesday while several passengers were onboard, the police said. A suspect was taken into custody.
A telephoto image of a city bus displaying an EMERGENCY message, blocked by a SWAT vehicle and other traffic amid signage and traffic cones.
A law enforcement vehicle blocking a transit bus in downtown Los Angeles early Wednesday. Credit...KTTV
By Isabella Kwai
Sept. 25, 2024
Updated 9:35 a.m. ET
One passenger has died after a person with a gun hijacked a transit bus in Los Angeles early Wednesday, prompting a police chase through the city’s downtown, according to local authorities.
Officers were called to South Los Angeles after a driver flashed a “Call 911” sign on the front of the bus, local news media reported. The bus pulled away, the Los Angeles Police Department said, and officers pursued the bus. The police were eventually able to stop the bus in downtown using spike strips, and a S.W.A.T. team went onboard, taking the suspect into custody.
The bus driver and two passengers were also onboard, the police said. One passenger died after being taken to hospital with gunshot wounds, and the other passenger was not injured.
The bus driver was unharmed, said the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Donald Graham, deputy chief for the Los Angeles Police Department, said that the driver had steered the bus for an hour with the hijacker on board before police were able to stop the bus.
