LOS ANGELES — A person who allegedly hijacked a metropolis bus in Los Angeles, killed a passenger and held its driver at gunpoint final Wednesday has been charged with homicide and kidnapping, authorities mentioned.
Lamont Campbell, 51, was charged with quite a few felonies associated to the hijacking, together with carjacking, assault with a semi-automatic handgun, theft, and felon in possession of a gun, Los Angeles county prosecutors mentioned Monday.
Campbell is alleged to have shot and killed 48-year-old Anthony Rivera on his manner dwelling from work. He additionally allegedly threatened and robbed one other passenger with the weapon.
Prosecutors mentioned Campbell first boarded the Metro bus at about 12:30 a.m. in South Los Angeles on Sep. 25, in keeping with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s workplace. After forcing the motive force to proceed driving by holding him at gunpoint, he led police vehicles on a sluggish chase via downtown for an hour earlier than they had been in a position to deploy spike strips to cease the bus and carry out a hostage rescue.
The different passenger, who was injured and shortly launched, has not been recognized.
“Metro’s 12,000 workers need to be secure at work and our almost 1 million clients need to be and really feel secure as they journey to and from their properties, work, and leisure actions,” Metro CEO Stephanie Higgins mentioned in a press release.
Los Angeles district lawyer George Gascon mentioned at a press convention Monday that Campbell had an in depth legal report, the Los Angeles Times reported. Officials additionally recommended the bus driver, Dennis Contreras, for his bravery and remaining calm.
Rivera’s household instructed KABC-TV that Rivera, a former nationwide guardsmen, was only some blocks away from dwelling when the gunman boarded the bus.
“He was simply making an attempt to get dwelling from his very lengthy shift as a parking zone attendant at Dodger Stadium,” Rivera’s cousin Sarah Beck mentioned. “All he wished to do was simply get dwelling safely, however he by no means made it dwelling.”
The household known as for extra security measures to guard passengers that depend upon public transit.
“I simply miss him dearly,” Rivera’s mom, Teresa Flores, instructed KABC-TV. “There’s a lot I need to say and I simply can’t. I’m simply dumbfounded they took my son. … He’ll all the time be with me, he’s my coronary heart.”
Campbell will probably be arraigned Tuesday. If convicted of all his prices, he faces a most sentence of 90 years, eight months to life in jail.
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