One person was fatally shot when an MTA bus was hijacked and then pursued by police from South Los Angeles to downtown early Wednesday morning.
Officers responded to a “Call 911” sign seen flashing on the bus around 12:45 a.m. at South Figueroa Street and Manchester Avenue in the Vermont Knolls neighborhood of South Los Angeles, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed.
The bus driver had posted the emergency after a suspect pulled out a gun during some type of dispute.
Several passengers quickly exited the bus but at least two others were still on board when the bus driver took off with the suspect now holding a gun to his head.
Officers deployed spike strips, which flattened the tires of the bus and the pursuit came to an end at East 6th Street and South Alameda Street in downtown L.A., the spokesperson said.
SWAT officers arrived at the scene and deployed flash-bang devices during a standoff with the suspect.
Video showed the bus driver getting out of the bus through a window with the assistance of police. At least one passenger was also rescued from the bus.
The Los Angeles Fire Department said it evaluated three patients. One was initially in critical condition and two were treated and declined transport.
The critical patient, later identified as a passenger on the bus, was pronounced dead, an LAPD spokesperson said during a news conference.
The suspect, who has not been identified, was taken into custody.
There was no word on a motive for the incident.
Check back for updates on this developing story.