Accused Los Angeles bus hijacker charged with murder, kidnapping – Winnipeg Free Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A man who allegedly hijacked a Los Angeles city bus last Wednesday, killed a passenger and held the driver at gunpoint has been charged with murder and kidnapping, authorities said.

Lamont Campbell, 51, was charged with numerous crimes related to the hijacking, including carjacking, assault with a semi-automatic handgun, robbery and felon in possession of a firearm, Los Angeles prosecutors said Monday.

Campbell allegedly shot and killed 48-year-old Anthony Rivera on his way home from work. He also allegedly threatened and robbed another passenger with the weapon.

A bus passes a news van in front of an MTA bus depot in Los Angeles, near the site where a bus was hijacked by an armed individual with passengers on board on Wednesday, September 25, 2024 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

Prosecutors said Campbell first boarded the Metro bus in South Los Angeles around 12:30 a.m. on September 25, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. After forcing the driver to drive by holding him at gunpoint, he led police cars on a slow chase through downtown for an hour before they could deploy spike strips to stop the bus and conduct a hostage rescue.

The other passenger, who was injured and quickly released, has not been identified.

“Metro’s 12,000 employees deserve to be safe at work and our nearly 1 million customers deserve to be safe and feel safe as they travel to and from home, work and leisure activities,” said Metro CEO Stephanie Higgins said in a statement.

Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon said at a news conference Monday that Campbell had an extensive criminal record, the Los Angeles Times reported. Officials also praised the bus driver, Dennis Contreras, for his courage and calmness.