Los Angeles, California – Following demands from the union representing Los Angeles Metro bus drivers for better safeguards, two violent incidents occurred on transit buses over the weekend within a 24-hour period.
In the first stabbing incident on April 13, a passenger was viciously attacked on a Metro bus in L.A.’s Silver Lake neighborhood. Paramedics were seen in a video lifting the blood-soaked victim with multiple stab wounds off the bus and rushing him to the hospital in critical condition.
Details surrounding the incident are scarce, and the motive behind the stabbing remains unclear. However, law enforcement managed to apprehend a suspect who fled from authorities in the Silver Lake area.
Later that same day in South L.A., a Metro bus driver was violently attacked by a suspect who began yelling at the driver before punching and stabbing him. The attacker, now wanted for attempted murder, fled the scene after the assault.
Good Samaritan Erika Diaz, who witnessed the attack on the bus driver, rushed to assist the victim who had sustained serious injuries. The driver was transported to a nearby hospital and has since been released to recover at home.
The L.A. Metropolitan Transportation Authority revealed that the driver is recuperating from the incident at home. In response to the stabbing, Metro condemned the violence, attributing the incident to drug abuse and untreated mental illness.
The incidents of violence on public transit buses come in the wake of a recent bus hijacking in downtown L.A. Union officials representing bus drivers are demanding enhanced safety measures, including full bulletproof enclosures for drivers, the presence of armed security officers, and silent alarms to alert authorities of any disturbances.
In response, L.A. Metro has announced plans to increase security measures, install additional barriers on buses, and provide de-escalation training for bus operators. These efforts are aimed at preventing future incidents of violence and improving the safety of public transit for both drivers and passengers.