Bus Hijacker Leads Police on Debris-Strewn Chase

A man hijacked an RTD bus and led police on a 20-minute chase through the Mid-City area, smashing into five cars, a fire hydrant and finally a house before escaping on foot through police gunfire, officials reported this morning.

Investigators said the bus was parked in a layover zone at Western and Franklin avenues about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday when a man, who was the only passenger on board, pulled a knife and ordered the driver, Grace Jones, to start driving.

Jones obeyed, according to Rapid Transit District spokesman Greg Davey, but she also pushed a silent alarm button that alerted RTD police.

Jones drove down a dead-end street and stopped the bus. The man ordered her to disrobe, Davy said. When the driver refused, the man grabbed her jacket, pushed her aside, took over the wheel, turned the bus around and started driving south.

Wild 20-Minute Pursuit

Moments later, police caught up with the bus. During the 20 minutes that followed, officials and witnesses said, the man led officers on a careening, bullet-punctuated pursuit down residential streets, the bus caroming off parked cars and a fire hydrant, spewing diesel oil from its fuel tank, which apparently was punctured by police gunfire.

Winfred (Chico) Jenkins, 44, said he was just getting into bed in his house on the corner when he heard a “big bang.”

“I thought it was an earthquake--the Big One--or maybe the Russians,” he said. “I looked around the corner, in my dining room, and there was this bus, just sitting in there. Five feet from my bed. A whole, big bus.”