Stolen MTA Bus Leads to Police Chase and Freeway Standoff
A stolen MTA bus led officers on a lengthy chase along Los Angeles and Orange county freeways Friday night before grinding to a halt in Buena Park after being crippled by police.
More than a dozen officers surrounded the vehicle, which was stalled on the Riverside Freeway where it crosses over the Santa Ana Freeway. A stalemate developed as the unauthorized driver in the bus failed to respond to police commands to step out of the vehicle and surrender. The bus thief was not identified.
The chase forced the closure of several freeways for an hour or more, tying knots in traffic already heavily snarled with Friday night commuters. The standoff continued as of 10:30 p.m.
Officials said the 15-ton bus was stolen in Hawthorne about 7:30 p.m. while its driver was taking a break at a layover stop. She alerted police and the bus was spotted about 45 minutes later, heading east on the San Bernardino Freeway near Alhambra.
When heavy weekend traffic forced the bus to a halt in west El Monte, sheriff’s deputies placed a spike strip in front of the left rear tires. Despite the flattened tires, the bus took off again, driving on its metal wheel rims and trailing a shower of sparks.
Because of the heavy traffic, the chase was at or below speed limits.
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