Fatal hijacking of L.A. Metro bus was 'a real-life nightmare'

VIDEO | 00:42

Gunman hijacks L.A. Metro bus

(OnScene.TV)

Published Sept. 25, 2024 Updated Sept. 26, 2024 5:56 AM PT

Disturbing details emerged Wednesday concerning a gunman accused of hijacking a Los Angeles Metro bus, fatally shooting a passenger and leading police on a pursuit that ended in a dramatic predawn standoff with SWAT officers downtown.

For more than an hour, a cavalry of police vehicles followed the bus as it slowly made its way from Vermont Knolls in South Los Angeles to downtown, where police used spike strips to puncture the tires and eventually stop it. After a SWAT team deployed flash grenades and stormed the bus, Lamont Campbell, 51, was taken into custody on suspicion of murder. He is being held in lieu of $2-million bail.

City leaders acknowledged the hijacking is an example of the challenges they face in keeping passengers safe amid heightened concerns about crime on Los Angeles’ public transit systems. Just four months ago, Mayor Karen Bass called for beefed-up security on transit lines following a rash of violent clashes.

She addressed Wednesday’s incident at an afternoon news conference, saying the city will explore new ways to detect weapons and protect both riders and drivers on public transit.

“I want to say unequivocally that what happened this morning will not be tolerated. It has no place in Los Angeles and the individual who was arrested must be held fully accountable,” Bass said. “Every Angeleno has the right to go about their lives safely, especially on our public transportation system.”

A Metro bus with an emergency "911 Call Police" message on its sign.

The perilous ride through downtown came to an end near Alameda and 6th streets after a tense standoff between SWAT teams that had surrounded the bus and the suspect inside. An officer yelled over a speaker: “Metro Bus 5858, this is LAPD. You’re surrounded. Come out with your hands up, one by one.” Video showed the driver sitting motionless with his hands raised.

Video of the scene then showed a series of small explosions from flash bangs deployed by police before officers with shields stormed inside. One passenger escaped through a window and the bus driver climbed out another and ran to safety behind an armored vehicle while officers moved in.

L.A. County Supervisor and Metro Board Chair Janice Hahn called the incident a “real-life nightmare” and lauded the bus driver and law enforcement during Wednesday’s news conference.

“I want to recognize that Metro bus driver whose actions last night were nothing short of heroic,” Hahn said. “With a gunman on board and his life on the line, he had the composure and the wherewithal to push the silent alarm, alerting both the Metro operation center and law enforcement.”

Police said the chase began near South Figueroa Street and Manchester Avenue about 12:45 a.m. after the gunman boarded the bus, argued with the driver and shot a passenger as the other riders ran out.

One of the fleeing passengers ran into oncoming traffic and was struck by a car and injured, but four others remained on board — the bus driver, the gunman and two passengers.

As calls to 911 began to flood in to dispatchers, the bus driver activated the panic button inside the vehicle, alerting police and triggering the emergency message on the light displays on the outside of the bus. The bus was recently equipped with a barrier that allowed the driver to maintain control of the vehicle, a safety measure that officials said likely helped prevent further tragedy. The barriers are expected to be installed on all Metro buses by the end of the year.

Police located the bus and briefly stopped it at 117th and Figueroa just after 1 a.m., but then the pursuit continued, police said. At some point, officers threw down spike strips in the bus’ path, ripping through its tires. At times, the bus sped down streets in the wrong direction as it wore the shredded tires down to the rims.

Sirens screamed through downtown as more than half a dozen police vehicles trailed the bus, attracting the attention of bicyclists who rode alongside taking video. One video showed the bus driver wave over a news camera person as “EMERGENCY 911 CALL POLICE” scrolled across its message board.

The driver stared forward as the camera panned to two other people inside. A man with a backpack flipped a middle finger at the camera, and a passenger in a seat nearby slumped against a window with the hood of a black sweatshirt pulled over his head. Officers are heard shouting at the cameraman to get away from the bus as the pursuit continues.

When police were finally able to board the bus, they found one passenger suffering from multiple gunshot wounds who was later pronounced dead at a hospital. Their identity has not yet been released by the county medical examiner. The bus driver and a second passenger were treated by paramedics at the scene and released, and Campbell was taken into custody.

The L.A. County Metropolitan Transportation Authority said in a statement that it is “grateful for the LAPD’s swift action regarding this morning’s bus hijacking incident and is grateful the operator was unharmed.”

The driver, who has not been publicly identified, has worked for Metro for more than a decade. The bus he was operating typically services Eagle Rock, Highland Park and downtown Los Angeles to South L.A.

County Supervisor Hilda Solis, who also sits on the Metro board, called for a thorough investigation into the circumstances that led to the hijacking. Metro has offered mental health services to the driver and the passengers who were on the bus, she said.

More than a dozen violent altercations have occurred on buses, trains and Metro properties this year. In March, a man hijacked a Metro bus and threatened the driver with a gun that turned out to be fake. The bus crashed into several parked cars and the Ritz-Carlton Hotel downtown.

In April, Mirna Soza, 66, was fatally stabbed on the subway as she came home from her night shift job, and a passenger captured a bus driver on video pleading for help after being stabbed.

“Metro is a part of our community,” Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins said during Wednesday’s news conference. “It’s an essential part of the daily lives of millions of Angelenos, and it’s also a reflection of the community, and that includes the criminal activity and the weapons that flow onto our buses from our community streets.”

According to the Metro board’s latest report on crimes across the system, crimes against persons are up this year through July compared to 2023. Experts note that crimes in the system are generally underreported.

The trends have put some riders on edge.

Sarah Smith, 39, held her 9-month-old son while balancing a stroller as she stepped onto a bus in South L.A. later Wednesday morning.

“I feel relatively safe,” she said, though she added that there’s sometimes “weird energies” on the bus. One day, she said, a man had followed her around on the bus and was shouting, “I’m going to sock you!”

Smith’s been riding the bus almost daily for the past two months while she saves up for a car. Absent other transportation, she doesn’t have much choice but to use public transit, she said.

“I just do what I have to do,” she said.