A man armed with a BB gun allegedly hijacked a Metro bus, which then collided with multiple vehicles before slamming into the Ritz-Carton Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.
The chaos unfolded just before midnight on Thursday aboard a bus traveling near the intersection of W. Jefferson Boulevard and S. Grand Avenue in South Los Angeles, KTLA reported. Police said a man aboard the bus pulled out what appeared to be a firearm and used it to force the driver to go to several different locations.
The bus then swerved in and out of traffic, striking multiple vehicles, most of them parked, police said. One of the collisions, captured on surveillance video, occurred as the bus raced through a red light on West 11th Street and South Grand Avenue. At the same time, a black car, attempting to cross the intersection, instead struck the side of the bus.
Just a few blocks later, the bus crashed into the side of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel not far from the GRAMMY Museum at LA Live. It managed to bust through the side of the building and a vault inside the luxury hotel was reportedly damaged.
The suspect, who has not been identified, fled the scene but was captured by authorities about an hour later. No motive has been released, but police have said he appears to be homeless. His weapon, later determined to be fake, was also recovered at the scene.
At least two people were injured, a bus driver and a woman who was in one of the cars struck. Their conditions were not immediately available.
No passengers were on board at the time of the hijacking, but the bus was severely damaged by the crash.
An investigation into the matter is ongoing.
