Metro bus hits cars and the Ritz-Carlton as hijacker fights driver for control
A man armed with an airsoft gun hijacked a Metro bus Wednesday night, causing the bus to crash into several vehicles before slamming into the side of a Ritz-Carlton hotel in downtown Los Angeles, police said.
The man boarded the bus at 7th and Spring streets about 11:40 p.m. and a short time later approached the driver with the gun, said Officer David Cuellar of the Los Angeles Police Department.
The man forced the driver to continue on to several locations, with the bus colliding with multiple vehicles along the way, Cuellar said. At one point, the hijacker wrestled for control of the steering wheel with the bus driver.
In a motion filed Monday, prosecutors say the convicted murderer used jailhouse phones to direct her family to release evidence that had been sealed and to track down witnesses to get them to say their testimony was directed.
The bus crashed into the side of the hotel at West Olympic Boulevard and Georgia Street, police said. After the crash, the hijacker ran away, but he was later located and taken into custody.
The bus driver and a person in one of the vehicles struck by the bus were transported to a hospital and were stable, according to a Metro spokesperson.
There were no other passengers aboard the bus during the crash and Metro is working with the LAPD in the investigation, Metro said. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the L.A. Crime Stoppers hotline, (800)-222-8477.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
