A bus hijacking by an armed person in Los Angeles resulted in the death of a passenger. The fatal incident took place early Wednesday. The hijacking of a transit bus led to a police chase through the city’s downtown, reports said.
Citing the Los Angeles Police Department, The New York Times reported that the suspect was taken into custody after an hourlong chase. He has been identified as Lamont Campbell, 51. At the time of the incident, two other passengers and the driver were on the bus. The passenger who died succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds.
Officers were informed about the incident a little before 1 a.m. after a driver activated an emergency sign on the front of the bus. Law enforcement officers used spike strips to stop the bus in downtown Los Angeles. A SWAT team then boarded the bus and took the suspect into custody.
#UPDATE : 1 dead, 1 in custody after metro bus hijacking in Downtown LA
— upuknews (@upuknews1) September 25, 2024
A shocking incident unfolded in downtown Los Angeles when a Metro bus was hijacked, leading to a dramatic police chase and standoff. The situation tragically resulted in one fatality and the apprehension of… pic.twitter.com/52PQFtHrAG
Donald Graham, deputy chief for the Los Angeles Police Department, praised the driver for remaining composed and steering the bus “in as safe a manner as he could”.
Visuals have emerged of the incident, showing the bus flashing an emergency “911 Call Police” sign. Another footage showed a fleet of police cars chasing the bus.
As per the police LAPD, homicide bureau detectives were investigating the case. The motive of the hijacking wasn’t clear yet.