A 48-year-old Los Angeles resident was identified Friday as the passenger who was fatally shot by a gunman who hijacked a Los Angeles Metro bus earlier this week.
Anthony Rivera died at the hospital from gunshot wounds Wednesday after he, another passenger and a bus driver had been held hostage by Lamont Campbell, 51, during a winding, hour-long chase through downtown L.A., according to a Los Angeles Police Department news release.
Police said the chase began near South Figueroa Street and Manchester Avenue about 12:45 a.m. after Campbell boarded the bus, argued with the driver and shot a passenger as the other riders ran out.
For more than an hour, 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.
After a SWAT team deployed flash grenades and stormed the bus, Campbell was taken into custody.
Paramedics found Rivera on the bus with multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.
The LAPD expects to present its case to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office Monday.
On Wednesday, Mayor Karen Bass said the city will explore new ways to detect weapons and protect 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.”
