Bus Hijacker Leads Police on 35-Mile Chase : Pursuit: A transient, 34, allegedly steals the OCTA vehicle in Newport Beach and drives it to San Juan Capistrano.

A 34-year-old transient allegedly hijacked a bus in front of Newport Harbor High School on Sunday and led authorities on a 35-mile chase before he was arrested after ordering a beer inside the landmark Swallows Inn in San Juan Capistrano.

No one was injured in the 35-minute pursuit.

“Apparently, he ran into the bar and sat on a bar stool and had just ordered a beer,” said Costa Mesa Police Sgt. Gary McErlain. “I don’t know if he just wanted to sit or was trying to hide or just wanted a beer.”

At the time of his arrest, Eugene Laporte told California Highway Patrol officers that “killer bees were after him,” said CHP Sgt. Chris Jenkins. Laporte also said he was visiting friends in San Juan Capistrano, Jenkins said.

Laporte was arrested and booked at the Costa Mesa Jail on suspicion of auto theft and hit-and-run driving.

Police said the homeless man boarded Orange County Transit Authority bus No. 3091, which had just begun its route at 10 a.m. in front of Newport Harbor High School on Irvine Avenue. There was one other passenger on the bus at the time.

Laporte rode on the bus for several blocks before he approached the driver and allegedly threatened to strangle him with an electrical extension cord. Laporte also allegedly threatened the driver with a rock, police said.

After Laporte threatened the driver, he and the male passenger, who were not identified by police and the OCTA, fled the bus and called for help.

OCTA officials said Sunday’s incident was the first hijacking of a company bus. OCTA, which has a fleet of about 750 buses, contracts with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department for security at certain stops but does not have security officers on any of its buses.

“We have many buses and service 48 million passengers a year and have a very good safety record,” said spokeswoman Elaine Beno.

After forcing the driver and the passenger off the bus, the suspect drove off, allegedly crashing the bus into a building at 300 E. 17th St. Followed by two Costa Mesa police cars, the suspect continued to drive down Newport Boulevard and entered the northbound Costa Mesa Freeway.

He turned onto the southbound San Diego Freeway, where two California Highway Patrol cruisers joined the pursuit. Authorities tailed the bus at speeds between 55 and 65 miles per hour, CHP officers said.

With officers behind him and a helicopter hovering above, the suspect continued south before exiting Interstate 5 at Ortega Highway. He then pulled into a shopping center parking lot on Del Obispo Street and ran to the Swallows Inn, where he ordered a beer, witnesses said.

There were more than a dozen patrons in the tavern at the time.

“He was kind of wild-eyed,” said customer Ed Koelsche, who first noticed the suspect entering the bar. “Then I heard footsteps, and there was a CHP officer in the doorway in a crouch. (The suspect) was thrown to the floor and handcuffed.”

According to bartender Willie John Largey, Laporte had been in the bar several days ago.

Sabine Hahn, a real estate saleswoman whose office is next door to the bar, described the scene before the arrest as chaotic. Sirens were wailing and people were running down the street seeking shelter, she said.

She herded a few people into her office, where they huddled in a corner.

“The whole town was running. I thought it was a fire,” Hahn said. “Everybody came out of all the stores. Everybody ran in the direction of the Swallows.”