A man allegedly hijacked a Los Angeles County Metropolitan bus Wednesday while armed with a BB gun, causing the bus to crash into several cars and a hotel, according to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).
The suspect, later identified as Anai Lindsey, boarded the bus approximately 11:10 p.m., the LAPD said in a press release. Shortly after, he then allegedly approached the bus driver and issued vocal threats.
Afterward, he allegedly “reached into his waistband as if he had a” firearm and told the operator, “Just Drive!” When the drive made a turn, “the suspect grabbed the steering wheel and caused the bus to collide with several vehicles,” the press release stated. “One of the vehicles … was occupied” during the incident. The person inside the vehicle is in stable condition, police said.
Security camera footage showed the bus blowing through an intersection where it collided with a vehicle. The bus then crashed into a Ritz-Carlton hotel in Downtown L.A., according to the LAPD.
It looked like the movie “Speed.” A Metro bus is hijacked at gunpoint, with the suspect forcing the driver to speed through downtown. The bus smashing into cars on its reckless ride before slamming into the Ritz-Carlton. New details on the suspect – This morning at 6 from ABC7 pic.twitter.com/iVtkiniVRI
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) March 21, 2024
The “suspect fled the scene on foot” after the bus crashed into the hotel, the press release stated. The bus driver was taken to a local hospital and has since been released, according to the police. (RELATED: Three Dead And One Child Injured After SUV Slams Into San Francisco Bus Stop, Police Say).
Officers found the handgun, which was later identified as a BB gun, on the sidewalk in front of the Metro bus, the press release noted.
Lindsey is a Nevada resident, according to police. The 24-year-old was arrested by the LAPD, charged with a felony and held on a $100,000 bail, according to LAPD inmate records.
There were no other passengers aboard the bus when Lindsey allegedly attempted to highjack it, the press release stated.