A Metro bus driver in South Los Angeles was the target of an attack when a passenger struck and spit on the operator late Monday night, KTLA reports. The incident occurred at the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. and Avalon boulevards around 10 p.m., and despite arriving swiftly at the scene the Los Angeles Police Department officers were unable to locate the suspect, who fled before their arrival and is described as a Black female in her 20s.
According to details provided by the Los Angeles Police Department and relayed by CBS Los Angeles, the attack happened after the driver instructed the woman to get off the bus, an action following which she hit and spit on the driver, then left the scene, leaving behind a situation that adds to the troubling rise in assaults on public transit which has included other disturbing incidents such as a security guard being assaulted and subsequent fatalities.
Metro spokesperson Jose Uvaldo emphasized the vital role of bus operators, "whose primary responsibility is getting nearly a million passengers to their destinations safely each day," and labeled passenger behavior that leads to assault or hampers the safety of drivers as "unacceptable," as noted in his statement obtained by NBC Los Angeles. The attacked driver activated an electronic emergency sign on the bus to alert bystanders, displaying "Emergency Call 911" in a bid for intervention.
The rise in violent events on the Metro transit system has prompted the agency to announce measures to curb such incidents including a significant boost in the number of law enforcement and public safety officers on patrol, and more recently, Metro has unveiled plans to establish its own dedicated police force in response to growing safety concerns among drivers and passengers alike. The attacked bus driver was treated at the scene by the Los Angeles Fire Department for non-life-threatening injuries; meanwhile, the LAPD is actively investigating the case and has called for public assistance, urging anyone with information to reach out to Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.
