LA bus hijacking leads police on chase; leaves one passenger dead

LOS ANGELES — A bus carrying two passengers and a driver was hijacked at gunpoint in Los Angeles on Wednesday, leading police on a chase through the city.

An alleged gunman got on the MTA bus in South Los Angeles around 12:45 a.m. Wednesday, KTLA reported. Police said a person got on the bus and pulled out a gun. The bus driver hit a panic button that displayed “CALL 911″ on the outside of the bus.

Officers found the bus stopped at one point but when they got close it drove off, causing a chase through the city to the downtown area. Police said the alleged gunman was holding the driver at gunpoint. Two passengers were on the bus at the time, The New York Times reported.

Police used spike strips to puncture the bus’ tires bringing the chase to a stop after about an hour, KNBC reported. That’s when members of the SWAT team used a flash-bang device to allow the driver to get out of the bus. One of the passengers was also rescued and was not hurt. The driver was also not hurt, but like the passenger, was shaken because of the incident.

The other passenger was found on the bus with multiple gunshot wounds, KTLA reported. That person was pronounced dead at an area hospital.

The alleged gunman was taken into custody.

Officials on Wednesday did not have a motive for the hijacking the Times reported.

© 2024 Cox Media Group