A man was shot and killed and a person suspected of hijacking a Metro bus, taking the driver hostage and leading police on a slow-pursuit chase through downtown Los Angeles is in custody, police said Wednesday.
The pursuit began at around 12:50 a.m. when police responded to South Figueroa Street and Imperial Highway regarding a shots fired call. According to reports from the scene, Los Angeles Police Department officers witnessed a man with a gun boarding the bus near Figueroa and West 119th Street, who demanded that the driver continue driving through downtown.
Four people were on the bus, two passengers, the driver and the suspect, according to media reports.
Police began pursuing the bus for over an hour and at some point the suspect allegedly shot a passenger on board the bus.
SWAT officers were called to 620 S. Alameda St. near Skid Row around 2:40 a.m. when the bus briefly stopped after police deployed spike strips on the street, the LAPD said. During the standoff, officers surrounded the bus and shot bean bags and stun grenades at the suspect as they tried to rescue the driver and the injured passenger.
The pursuit ended near Sixth and Alameda streets, the LAPD said. The driver was safely rescued and the suspect was taken into custody.
LAPD Cmdr. Donald Graham told reporters that the passenger who had been shot was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Graham said another passenger who hid in the back of the bus during hijacking was rescued by police.
The driver pushed a panic button inside the bus, alerting police to his predicament.
“Metro is grateful for the LAPD’s swift action regarding this morning’s bus hijacking incident and is grateful the operator was unharmed.
Metro is providing the operator with the support he needs,” Metro spokesman
Jose Ubaldo said in a statement to City News Service.
“This is still an active investigation being led by the LAPD.”