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Metro bus hijacking raises more security concerns
A man hijacked a Metro bus in South Los Angeles, and shot and killed a passenger. City officials say the latest incident of violence on the Metro system requires a new focus on security.
LOS ANGELES - After facing criticism for a rash of violent incidents on or near Metro buses and trains, the Los Angeles Metro Board is now testing three weapons detection systems at Union Station.
The three systems include:
- Video analytics, which looks for brandishing of weapons on the system;
- Millimeter wave, which looks at potential weapons that could be hidden on people;
- Dual-lane system, which detects items that resemble a weapon.
It is currently a pilot program they hope to eventually expand.
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Metro bus hijacking 'a real-life nightmare': Hahn
Officials gave an update on the Metro bus hijacking in South Los Angeles that ended up with one man shot dead.
"If you can't get into a Dodger game or a concert with a weapon, you shouldn't be able to board a bus or train with a weapon," said Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn, who chairs the Metro Board of Directors.
RELATED: Innocent passenger killed in downtown LA after gunman hijacks MTA bus
On Wednesday morning, an armed man hijacked a Metro bus in South LA and led police on an hour-long slow pursuit to downtown. A passenger on the bus was shot dead. The bus driver and other passengers escaped unharmed.
Hahn, along with Mayor Karen Bass, said the newly installed barrier the driver was in most likely saved his life.
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Innocent bus passenger shot, killed in DTLA
An innocent bus passenger who was held hostage after a gunman hijacked an MTA bus was shot and killed early Wednesday morning.
"I have to say that if the barrier was not there, that driver would not have been able to signal that he needed help and also to let the public know, through the top of the bus that said ‘911 call police’, letting anybody that saw know that the driver and the passengers were in trouble. And a number of 911 calls came because people saw that," Bass said during a press conference Wednesday afternoon.
Hahn said the bus barrier prevented the hijacker from taking over the controls and endangering more people. The driver was also able to push the silent alarm which called 911.
The silent alarm and the barrier are part of Metro's newest measures to bolster public safety.
RELATED:
- Metro looking to deploy more officers, use technology to prevent crimes
- Metro's Tap to Exit program helping lower crime at North Hollywood station, could expand
On April 29, the board approved an emergency declaration to speed up acquisition and installation of protective barriers for drivers on about 2,000 buses.
Bass said by the end of this year they plan to complete the installation of barriers on all buses.
On June 27, Metro voted to create their own police force. Under the plan, the new department, called the Transit Community Public Safety Department, would be gradually implemented over a five-year span.