Los Angeles Bus Hijacking Possibly Kills One, Suspect Taken into Custody
A police chase through downtown ended in a fatal bus hijacking in Los Angeles following an hourslong standoff early Wednesday. Local authorities said the suspect, who had a gun, is in custody.
Deadly Bus Hijacking in Los Angeles, CA [UPDATE]
LOS ANGELES — Authorities chased a man holding a gun who hijacked a Los Angeles transit bus Wednesday morning amid the busy downtown area. One of the passengers was declared dead upon arrival at a nearby hospital when he suffered from also gunshot wounds and another passenger and driver were unharmed during the exchange.
911 Alert and Police Pursuit
Police arrived at the scene when the bus driver activated a ‘Call 911’ sign warning them of a dangerous predicament. The offending bus left the scene with said suspect, driver and passengers on board resulting in a police pursuit. Eventually, officers used a spike strip to stop the bus at Alameda and 6th streets and a S.W.A.T. team boarded the bus to arrest the suspect without incident.
A Brave Driver Operates the Bus for More Than an Hour
LAPD Deputy Chief Donald Graham praised the bus driver for safely bringing the nearly hour-long ordeal to an end by continuing to operate the bus while Gomez remained on board. “Operator I think the world of you,” Graham said at a news conference. The driver is unsurprisingly “shaken” but remains in a good frame of mind after that traumatic ordeal.
Investigation Ongoing
The motivation behind the hijacking has yet to be established by authorities. The LAPD has been looking into the incident. Several details regarding the incident have been deemed confidential, but one fact has been revealed: an emergency panic button on the bus played a key role in alerting authorities to what was taking place.
Public Safety Concerns
This loss of life marks another example of a continuing pattern of gun violence in America, from the hallways and classrooms of schools to supermarkets and now public transit. It brings into question the safety of what were once thought to be “sanctuary” spaces, such as public buses.
Closing Thoughts: A Tumultuous Community
Los Angeles bus hijacking points to random, unpredictable nature of gun violence in todays world While the investigation remains ongoing, officials in California are doing what they can to help everyone touched by the sad events. The bus driver is being helped and the community is mourning yet another violent scene in a public place.