Shooting Ends 12-Hour RTD Bus Hijacking

The 12-hour hijacking of an RTD bus by an armed man who forced the driver to take him to a mental hospital in San Bernardino, only to change his mind and threaten suicide, ended early Friday. Police who had surrounded the bus after it came to a stop near downtown Los Angeles shot the man in the leg.

Clarence Allen Jr., 36, who police said was an unemployed Los Angeles transient, was listed in critical condition Friday afternoon at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center after undergoing surgery for his shotgun wound.

There were no passengers on the Rapid Transit District bus, which was hijacked Thursday afternoon at the end of its route on 3rd Street, near Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in West Los Angeles. The driver, Charles Scott, 37, who was taking a break at the time, was forced back onto the bus at gunpoint by Allen, police said. Scott was later released unharmed.

Police said Allen first ordered Scott to drive him to Patton State Hospital in San Bernardino to obtain medication. On the way to the hospital, Allen allegedly threatened to kill members of his family and at one point fired a shot into the bus floor. After the bus arrived at the hospital, Allen changed his mind and ordered Scott to drive back to Los Angeles.

In Radio Contact

When the bus failed to return to the RTD station on schedule, district officials radioed Scott, who alerted them to the hijacking.

RTD police units spotted the bus westbound on the Santa Monica Freeway at about 5 p.m. and followed it until it came to a stop on 20th Street near the Hoover Street offramp.

“After stopping, Allen indicated to Scott that he was going to commit suicide or that it was his intention to have police officers shoot him,” according to a statement released by Lt. Charles Higbie, who heads the Police Department unit that investigates police shooting incidents.

Higbie said police spent six hours trying to persuade Allen to give himself up. Allen left the bus several times with the gun pointed at his head and, at one point, fired a shot inside the bus.

When Allen, gun in hand, left the bus and began to move away from it, police officer Patrick Kouri, 35, fired a shotgun round at him.

Allen, who is expected to be transfered to the jail ward of County-USC Medical Center, will be booked on suspicion of kidnaping, Higbie said.