One dead after hijacked bus speeds through LA with hostages on board

The high-stakes pursuit spanned an hour early on Wednesday morning

A passenger has died after a person with a gun hijacked a bus in Los Angeles, leading to an hour-long police chase through the city in the early hours of Wednesday.

The driver and two passengers were on the bus when the incident unfolded and held hostage throughout the terrifying persuit.

The Los Angeles Police Department received radio calls about an incident on a bus in the area of Manchester and Figueroa around 12.45am.

After the passenger pulled out a gun, the bus driver pushed the panic button on the bus, prompting a sign on the back of the bus to flash: “Emergency. Call 911,” KTLA reported.

While officers tried to communicate with the driver as the bus was stopped at 117th and Figueroa, the vehicle pulled away, leading to an hour-long pursuit into the downtown area, police said.

The SWAT team joined police in its efforts to bring the bus to a stop and rescue the hostages. They were eventually successful at approximately 2.10am after police deployed spike strips and were able to puncture a tire, bringing the bus to a stop at Alameda Street and 6th Street.

The SWAT team then deployed noise flash diversionary devices and boarded the bus and the suspect was taken into custody.

A bus was hijacked in the early hours on Wednesday morning, leading to an hour-long persuit through downtown LA (KTLA)

One passenger suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was taken to the hospital, where they succumbed to their injuries.

The driver and the other passenger were “shaken but uninjured,” Los Angeles Police Department Deputy Chief Donald Graham said at a media briefing on Wednesday morning.

The motivation for the hijacking is not immediately clear and the charges against the suspect have not been announced.

The suspect, passengers, and the bus driver have not been identified.

South Bureau Homicide detectives are conducting an investigation into the incident.

The Independent has reached out to LAPD for more information.