Hijacked bus chased by police through downtown LA

One person has died after a gunman hijacked a Los Angeles bus on Wednesday, sparking a sprawling police chase that ended with a Swat team storming the vehicle.

The armed suspect boarded the Metro bus, which had two other passengers on board, in South Los Angeles at around 01:00 local time (08:00 GMT).

Police gave pursuit as the hijacker forced the bus driver at gunpoint to steer the vehicle through traffic for the next hour.

It is the latest violent incident on the Los Angeles transit system, which has seen a number of shootings and stabbings this year.

In Wednesday’s incident, the driver pressed a panic button, activating a “911 call police” message to flash on the light display at the front of the bus.

Police disabled the vehicle by deploying spike strips at a downtown intersection after it had travelled more than 7 miles (11km).

A Swat team deployed flash-bang grenades as they boarded the bus and arrested the suspect.

A man was found inside with multiple gunshot wounds, and he was pronounced dead in hospital. The other passenger was not injured.

Police said the suspect had boarded the bus, argued with the driver and shot a passenger.

TV news footage showed the bus driver climbing out of a window on the vehicle to escape.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority said the driver was unharmed.

It is not the first such incident on the city’s transit system this year.

In March, one person was injured when a man hijacked a bus which crashed into a hotel and several vehicles.

Mayor Karen Bass called in May for security to be beefed up on the city’s bus and train routes.