One person shot dead as gunman hijacked plane a bus with passengers on board in downtown Los Angeles early this morning, police said.
The bus driver and another passenger were rescued after an hour-long police chase and a SWAT team arrived on scene, police said. Deputy Chief Donald Graham told reporters at a news conference at the scene that officers used spike strips to stop the bus. Several people got off the bus during that time, he said.
The gunman was arrested by police and has not yet been identified.
No details were provided on the identity of the deceased victim, who was shot inside the bus and died at a local hospital, police said.
Graham said the driver used “emergency protocols” to raise the alarm. The driver is “in relatively good spirits, although a little shaken,” he added. He went on to praise the role of bus drivers in the city, calling them “public service heroes.”
“This driver continued to operate the bus as safely as possible in the circumstances, even though the police had been following him for an hour before the spike strips finally took effect,” he said. “So I commend the driver, this individual and bus drivers in general for the job they have to do.”
“The driver exited the bus with the assistance of SWAT, unharmed,” an LAPD spokesperson said in an earlier statement, adding that a suspect was in custody.
Police had also said earlier that “an additional victim inside the bus was being transported to hospital” and that cardiopulmonary resuscitation was underway.
LA Metro said in a statement that it was “grateful for the quick action by the LAPD regarding this morning’s bus hijacking incident and is grateful that the driver was unharmed.”
“Metro provides the operator with the support it needs,” the statement added.
This remains an active investigation by the LAPD.
Witnesses at the scene of the police operation posted footage on TikTok and YouTube. In one video showing a parked orange bus, police can be heard saying, “This is LAPD, you’re surrounded, come out with your hands up.”
Both the driver and the suspected hijacker were evaluated by the Los Angeles Fire Department and did not require any medical treatment.
Another police statement said it was unclear what happened before the incident.
The LAPD confirmed shortly before 6 a.m. ET that a bus had stopped at Almeda and 6th Street in downtown Los Angeles and that a SWAT team was en route to the scene.
