US: SWAT brings end to bus-hijack drama after high-speed chase across LA
Man fatally shoots passenger, hijacks MTA bus, and leads cops on a wild hour-long pursuit before being apprehended
In scenes straight from a high-voltage crime thriller, a man shot a passenger on a Los Angeles MTA bus early on Wednesday (September 25), then hijacked the vehicle, and led police on a lengthy chase before being nabbed by a SWAT team, according to the LAPD.
The passenger who was shot later died.
The incident began around 12.45 am (US time) after a 911 call reported a shooting and hijacking near Figaro Street and Manchester Avenue. The suspect, after shooting one passenger, forced the bus driver at gunpoint to head north. Passengers managed to flee during the initial stages of the hijacking.
Homicide charge
The chase ended at 2.05 am (US time), roughly 10 km away, near South Alameda and 6th Street, where the LAPD SWAT team intervened. Police used spike strips to stop the bus, and the suspect barricaded himself inside before being arrested.
Images and live footage showed the bus stopped with an armoured vehicle in front, surrounded by armed SWAT officers. The injured passenger was transported to a hospital in critical condition but later died.
The incident is now being treated as a homicide, while two others on the bus declined medical attention. The motive for the shooting remains unclear.