A passenger was killed after a gunman hijacked a city bus in Los Angeles early Wednesday, leading to a slow police chase through downtown before the suspect was eventually arrested, authorities said.
The armed man boarded the Metro bus with the driver and two passengers aboard shortly before 1 a.m. in South Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Officers approached the bus as it slowly rolled away. A cavalcade of police vehicles followed it as the driver drove at gunpoint for the next hour. A flashing sign on the front of the bus read: “Emergency. 911 Call Police.”
Police deployed spike strips, which punctured one of the tires. After traveling more than 7 miles (11 kilometers), the bus eventually came to a stop at a downtown intersection near the city’s Arts District, and the suspect surrendered, officials said.
TV news footage showed a series of small explosions around the bus stopped in the neighborhood of lofts and warehouses, then police storming aboard with shields. The bus driver climbed out of window and ran to safety behind an armored vehicle while officers moved in.