One person has died of gunshot wounds after a bus was hijacked in southeast Los Angeles, authorities said Wednesday.
Los Angeles Police Department officers received radio calls about a disturbance and possible assault with a deadly weapon on a Los Angeles metro bus at about 12:45 a.m. Wednesday, according to the LAPD.
A panic button was activated displaying a “CALL 911” sign on the outside of the bus, according to KTLA. The bus driver was held at gunpoint, according to police.
Officers attempted to make contact with the bus using a public address system at West 117th and South Figueroa streets, where the bus was parked.
“The bus responded by slow-rolling away from the police officers, and a pursuit began that lasted about an hour,” LAPD Deputy Chief Donald Graham said at a news conference Wednesday morning.
As the bus sped toward downtown Los Angeles, officers used multiple spike strips to stop the vehicle near Alameda and East Sixth streets.
SWAT officers entered the bus, rescuing the driver and one passenger, and taking a suspect into custody. The bus driver and passenger were not injured, Graham said.
A second passenger was found in critical condition after suffering multiple gunshot wounds, Graham said. The person was treated by SWAT officers and Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics, then immediately taken to a hospital. The person died shortly after arriving at the hospital, Graham said.
(c) Washington Post