A Metro bus driver was attacked on the 1600 block of 5th Street early Thursday morning resulting in minor injuries and the arrest of the suspect.
According to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD), the bus driver was inside the out-of-service vehicle at about 1:41am when the suspect approached the bus and demanded entry.
The driver did not open the door prompting the suspect to begin attacking the actual vehicle. According to LASD, the suspect eventually kicked the door hard enough to shatter the glass, prompting the driver to exit the vehicle. At that point, the suspect attacked the driver, striking him once in the face.
Sheriff’s deputies and the Santa Monica Police Department responded to the scene but as the Sheriff has jurisdiction over Metro operations, deputies made the arrest.
Metro vehicles frequently line the block of 5th Street before entering service and do not accept passengers while they are out of service. The block is also home to the Downtown train station and has a frequent Sheriff presence.
The Sheriff’s department said they didn’t have any details on the suspect, such as name or housing status.
The assault was the third in a week on a Metro bus driver.
In a statement, Metro said there was nothing more important to the organization than safety.
“We are fully committed to doing everything within our power to protect our employees and our customers,” said the statement. “We know that the drug abuse epidemic and untreated mental illness crises are nationwide issues that fuel many of these attacks on transit nationwide. The behavior on our system reflects the issues that are seen in the surrounding communities across LA County. While Metro funds social service outreach teams that work across our system to help connect those experiencing homelessness, mental health crises or drug use with the resources they need, more needs to be done by our County and City partners to help address these important societal issues that spill over onto our system.”
The organization said it is working to implement new safety measures.
“As an update specific to bus operators, between transit security officers, law enforcement partners and ambassadors there are more than 80 people dedicated to riding buses each day,” said the statement. “We will see further expansion of these teams in the coming months and have requested approval for additional bus riding staff in the FY25 budget.”
Metro is also working to install protective plastic compartments for drivers.
“As it relates to the bus operator shields, Metro developed two prototypes, and gathered input from more than 2,500 bus operators to select the one they preferred,” said the statement. “The prototype was tested by operators who provided feedback on the material used to ensure there would be minimal glare. Metro has sourced a new material and is right now conducting durability testing of the material. That should be completed within the next two to four weeks.”
matt@smdp.com