An incident involving a suspect fatally shooting a passenger on a Los Angeles MTA bus and subsequently hijacking the vehicle unfolded in the early hours of Wednesday, according to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).
The dramatic sequence of events began around 12:45 a.m. when authorities received a 911 call reporting a shooting and bus hijacking at Figaro Street and Manchester Avenue.
Police reported that the suspect shot at least one person before commandeering the bus by holding the driver at gunpoint and directing the vehicle northbound. Some passengers managed to exit the bus during the initial stages of the hijacking.
The LAPD's SWAT team intervened and successfully stopped the bus at approximately 2:05 a.m. near South Alameda Street and 6th Street, about six miles from the initial hijacking location. Spike strips were utilized to slow down the bus, leading to its eventual halt, after which the suspect barricaded himself inside.
Visuals from online sources and live news coverage depicted the MTA bus immobilized on the roadside, with an armored police vehicle positioned in front and an armed SWAT team present at the scene.
Following the apprehension, the suspect was taken into custody. Unfortunately, the injured victim, who was transported to a nearby hospital in critical condition, succumbed to their injuries. The LAPD has now shifted its focus to treating the incident as a homicide investigation.
According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, two other individuals on the bus declined medical treatment. As of now, the motive behind the shooting remains unknown.
