Passenger gunned down during bus hijacking in Los Angeles, suspect arrested

Los Angeles police said a man was shot and killed when a hijacker commandeered a city bus at gunpoint early Wednesday and forced the driver to lead police on an hourlong chase that ended with a suspect's arrest downtown.

When the chase ended, police said, they found a man inside the bus suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

"My thoughts are with the loved ones of the individual who was tragically killed early this morning," Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement. "Every Angeleno has the right to go about their lives safely — especially on our public transportation systems."

LAPD Deputy Chief Donald Graham said the incident started at about 12:45 a.m. in the Vermont Knolls neighborhood in South L.A., when authorities received word about a shooting aboard a bus.

Police said they eventually learned an armed passenger had hijacked the bus, prompting the driver to hit the panic button that displays "Emergency" and "911 Call Police" on the outside of the vehicle.

Authorities said the suspect, who wasn't identified, held the bus driver at gunpoint as the driver tried to elude pursuing squad cars.

Some passengers jumped out of the slow-moving vehicle during the pursuit.

"This operator continued to operate the bus in as safe a manner as he could under the circumstances with police trailing him for an hour before the spike strips took effect. I think the world of the operator," Deputy Chief Graham said at a press conference.

Police said they brought the vehicle to a halt near downtown L.A.

SWAT crews threw flash bangs into the bus to disorient the suspect, police said, who was quickly arrested. The bus driver and a few remaining passengers were taken off the bus to safety.

The mayor said she will "be urgently working with the members of the Metro Board as well as our Chair and Metro CEO to enhance the safety strategies that we implemented earlier this year."

Four people have been killed on L.A.'s bus and metro system this year, according to police.