What to Know
- An armed hijacker shot and killed a passenger Wednesday morning on a Metro bus in downtown Los Angeles.
- The hijacking led to an hour-long chase with the armed man on board.
- The driver, a long-time employee of the transit agency, activated an alarm during the hijacking.
The man killed Wednesday aboard a hijacked Metro bus in downtown Los Angeles was identified as a 48-year-old LA resident.
Anthony Rivera was shot and killed by a man arrested on suspicion of murder following the hijacking and slow-speed early morning police pursuit that continued for about an hour on downtown LA streets, according to police. Rivera was one of at least two passengers on the bus at about 1 a.m. at South Figueroa Street and Imperial Highway when the armed man boarded the bus and confronted the driver.
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The driver, identified only as a long-time employee of the transit agency, activated an emergency alarm, one of several actions that authorities said likely prevented further tragedy. Mayor Karen Bass said several 911 calls were placed about the hijacking after the driver operated an electric sign on the bus that reads," Emergency Call 911."
Officers found the bus at South Figueroa Street and West 117th Street.
"Upon finding the bus, they observed passengers running from it and seeking help from the officers," the LAPD said. "They attempted to stop the bus but were unsuccessful, later discovering that the armed suspect had instructed the driver not to stop."
At some point during the hijacking and pursuit, the gunman shot Rivera, who later died at a hospital. Details about what led to the shooting were not available.
SWAT officers were called to an area near Skid Row when the bus briefly stopped after police deployed spike strips on the road, destroying some of the tires.
During the ensuing standoff, officers surrounded the bus and shot bean bags and stun grenades at the gunman as they tried to rescue the driver and an injured passenger. They discovered one passenger, Rivera, with multiple gunshot wounds.
The driver, who has been with the agency for more than a decade, and a second passenger who hid on the bus were treated by paramedics at the scene and released. In a statement, Metro said the bus driver was OK and receiving the support he needs.
A 51-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the hijacking and fatal shooting. He was being held on $2 million bond. Details about a motive were not immediately available.
The deadly hijacking comes about six months after another Metro bus was commandeered by an armed man in downtown Los Angeles. That bus collided with cars and eventually slammed into the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. The bus driver and a woman in a car struck by the bus were injured.
Authorities later learned the man was armed with a BB gun.
