L.A. Bus Hijack Leaves One Dead

By
ABC News
January 7, 2006, 10:14 AM ET
2 min read

L O S   A N G E L E S, May 2, 2001 -- A shooting suspect hijacked a transit bustoday and held a gun to the driver's head as police chased thebus through downtown until it crashed into a minivan.

The van's driver was killed and seven people were injured, police said.Officers shot at the suspect as he fled the bus and quickly tookhim into custody as he attempted to get into a car. The suspect wasnot hit.

The pursuit through more than a dozen city blocks ended with the bus broadsiding the minivan at an intersection and pushing itviolently into a parked United Parcel Service van. The bus veeredonto a sidewalk and into more than a half-dozen cars in a parkinglot.

The bus driver, the five passengers on the bus and the UPSdriver were injured.

One person was listed in critical condition at County-USCMedical Center, hospital spokesman Clyde Emerson said.

Frantic, Frightening Chase

The chase began after police detectives heard gunfire and saw aman running with a gun on Eighth Street near Columbia Avenue about4:20 p.m. local time, said officer Jason Lee.

Detectives attempted to arrest the man, but he got onto theMetropolitan Transportation Authority bus, apparently at a busstop, Lee said.

Police said the suspect held a semi-automatic handgun to thedriver's head and forced her to drive.

"With a gun to her head, it was clear the driver was scared.She was doing whatever she could to stay alive," said Sgt. JohnPasquariello.

The driver, Emma Gutierrez, was taken to County-USC MedicalCenter, where she was stable with unspecified injuries, Emersonsaid.

At least some of the injured were treated at the scene.

"They're scared, shocked," MTA spokesman Jose Ubaldo said.

Struggle Until the Very End

The bus was traveling eastbound on Olympic Boulevard fromCentury City to downtown Los Angeles when it was hijacked, said MTAspokesman Gary Wosk.

After the crash, the gunman fled around a corner as police firedat him. He attempted to get into a parked car but officers pulledhim out and tackled him. The man continued to struggle after he wasplaced in a police car, and four officers pushed on the rear doors,which he apparently was trying to kick open.

Police said officers began chasing the suspect after heallegedly shot a man in the stomach outside the offices of the LosAngeles Police Protective League, the union that represents LAPDofficers.