'Nightmare': Passenger fatally shot aboard hijacked metro bus in Los Angeles; suspect holds driver at gunpoint



A passenger was fatally shot aboard a hijacked metro bus in Los Angeles after midnight Wednesday as the suspect held the driver at gunpoint and police gave chase.

Officers began receiving radio calls about a potential assault with a deadly weapon on a bus near in south L.A. around 12:45 a.m., KTLA-TV reported, citing Los Angeles Police Department Deputy Chief Donald Graham.

While the suspect was taken into custody, the station said the motive for the shooting was not known.

Authorities learned that a person aboard the bus pulled out a gun, which prompted the bus driver to activate a panic button that displays a “CALL 911” message on the bus' exterior, the station said.

Officers found the bus stopped near West 117th Street and South Figueroa Street, but when police got close to the bus, it began moving, after which a pursuit was on, KTLA said.

Police told the station the suspect was holding the bus driver at gunpoint.

“Clearly, he was under duress and under the threat of violence … for him to be able to keep his composure is a reflection on the bus operators in the system,” Graham later noted to KTLA in regard to the bus driver.

Officers deployed spike strips, which flattened the bus’ tires, the station said, adding that the pursuit ended after roughly an hour at East 6th Street and South Alameda Street in downtown L.A.

SWAT officers then deployed a flash-bang device, which allowed the bus driver to escape by climbing through a window, KTLA reported, adding that cops said SWAT officers also rescued a passenger who wasn't seriously hurt.

However, another victim was found aboard the bus suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, the station said, adding that Graham said the unidentified victim was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead.

Investigators believe the hijacker shot the victim before the police pursuit commenced, KTLA noted.

While the suspect was taken into custody, the station said the motive for the shooting was not known.

L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn — who's also chair of the LA Metro Board of Directors — called the incident a “nightmare” but praised the bus driver's actions, KTLA said.

Hahn also calling for more to be done to protect the Metro system, the station said: “We need ways to prevent people from bringing weapons onto our Metro buses and trains, and the sooner we can find solutions to prevent tragedies like this, the better."

You can view a video report here about the incident.

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VIDEO: Unruly passenger gets hogtied after trying to storm cockpit on Delta flight



A viral video shows an unruly passenger on a recent Delta flight get hogtied after trying to storm the cockpit of the commercial airplane. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the disorderly man.

Delta Flight 386 was flying from Los Angeles International Airport to Nashville when a man attempted to breach the cockpit of the plane. A passenger told CNN that the man "seemingly unprovoked, just got up and rushed the pilot's cabin and began banging on the doors."

In the video, the barefoot passenger is heard repeatedly screaming, "Stop the plane!"

Passenger Grace Chalmers said the man was taken down quickly by another passenger, and then the cabin crew helped immobilize him. Chalmer said the man was held to the ground for approximately 20 minutes.

Flight attendants and passengers jumped into action, tackled the man and wrestled him to the ground. The wild passenger is subdued by the flight crew and air travelers. A flight attendant is able to hogtie the disruptive passenger by zip-tying his hands and feet. The offender was carried to the back of the plane.

https://t.co/rc1zXEbRTL

— 💡 (@1WaySuggs) 1622843242.0

The Delta flight was diverted to the Albuquerque International Sunport in New Mexico, where travelers waited hours while Delta made arrangements for them to fly to Nashville. Passengers reportedly made it to Nashville five hours after the scheduled arrival time.

Nobody was injured in the kerfuffle, and the potential hijacker was taken into federal custody.

One passenger told KCAL-TV that the man was either panicking and in the midst of a mental health crisis or was possibly on drugs.

An individual claiming to be passenger, who uploaded video of the incident, thanked the Delta flight attendant who was able to disable the man attempting to storm the cockpit.

"I was on this flight in the 3rd row - witness to everything. Terrifying but our @Delta flight attendant Christopher Williams acted quickly. So did several passengers around me. Safe but still in Albuquerque. Hope @delta gives Chris every bit of recognition and bonus he deserves."

This was our view from the 3rd row right after the @Delta attendants and passengers apprehended the person who atte… https://t.co/ztDYMkP5f2

— Jessica Robertson (@jesscribe) 1622849342.0

Delta thanked those who helped thwart the cockpit breach.

"Thanks to the crew and passengers of Delta Flight 386, LAX to Nashville (BNA), who assisted in detaining an unruly passenger as the flight diverted to Albuquerque (ABQ)," the airline said in a statement. "The aircraft landed without incident and the passenger was removed by law enforcement."

The FBI said, "There is no threat to the public at this time."

Delta flight diverted after attempted cockpit breach l GMA www.youtube.com

Kindergartners on hijacked school bus asked armed intruder so many questions that he got 'frustrated' and let them off, hero bus driver recalls



"Precious cargo" indeed.

Within the harrowing account of a U.S. Army trainee going AWOL from Fort Jackson, South Carolina, and hijacking a school bus full of children as young as kindergartners is the heroic bus driver's recollection that his 18 young passengers played a very big role in everyone coming through the ordeal safely.

What are the details?

The driver, Kenneth Corbin, sat down for an interview with ABC's "Good Morning America" Monday and explained how the May 6 incident all went down.

Image source: "Good Morning America" video screenshot

"The kids were the ones that actually got the gentleman off of the bus, and they pretty much had my back as much as my concerns were with them," Corbin told "GMA." "And at the end when they started questioning him, it seemed to have frustrated him because his main objective [was] to get to the next town; but in the end I think we were only on the road about four miles, and he just got frustrated with the questions and just told me to stop the bus and just get off: 'All y'all get off.'"

The program noted that Jovan Collazo, 23, appeared to be trying to get home, according to police, and remains in custody facing two dozen charges, including 19 counts of kidnapping.

'Why are you doing this?'

Corbin had just gone through training on how to handle a hostage situation and tried to no avail to dissuade Collazo from entering — but Corbin told "GMA" the hijacker pointed his government-issued rifle at him and ordered him to "close the door and move and drive."

Image source: "Good Morning America" video screenshot

The hero driver added to "GMA" that the hijacker's "main objective was to get to the next town" — but that about every 500 feet he would ask how much more they needed to travel. Corbin told the program that he informed Collazo they needed to drive another 15 to 20 miles to get the next town.

The hijacker also moved all the children scattered throughout the bus up front in one group so he could keep an eye on them — "and when he did that, especially some of my kindergarteners, they started asking him questions," Corbin recalled to "GMA."

He added to the program that the students asked Collazo if he was a soldier — to which he "hesitantly answered ... 'yes, I'm a soldier.'"

"They asked him, 'Why are you doing this?' And he never did have an answer for that one," Corbin recounted to "GMA." "Then they asked was he gonna hurt them; he said 'no.' They asked was he gonna hurt our bus driver; and he said, 'No, I'm going to put you off the bus.' He sensed more questions coming ... I guess something clicked [in] his mind and said ... 'enough already,' and he just told me to .. 'stop the bus right here, and just get off.'"

Image source: "Good Morning America" video screenshot

Then it was over. Collazo was arrested soon after.

'My heroes'

Corbin told the program that for him "it was just a matter of just staying calm and following his instructions and thinking about the kids, because I didn't want to do anything that would, you know, rile him to cause him to do something that would bring harm to my kids."

The hero driver added to "GMA" that it was "so evident that they were precious cargo, and I pretty much just had to just do whatever, you know, to get them off the bus safe and sound."

Corbin also noted to the program that "it seemed as if their goal to do the same by me, and that's why I refer to them as my heroes."