Authorities continued their search for a woman who allegedly attacked and robbed a Metro bus driver on Memorial Day, adding to a string of recent violent assaults targeting transit operators.
The latest assault happened about 9:50 a.m. May 27 on a bus traveling southbound on Spring Street just south of Temple Street, Metro officials confirmed.
“Metro is angered that yet again a member of our community chose to assault and steal from one of our essential bus operators,” Jose Ubaldo, a spokesman for Metro, said in a statement. “We are accelerating our work to prevent crime on our system.”
The bus driver allegedly recognized the possibly homeless attacker from previous incidents and attempted to stop her from entering the bus by closing the doors, according to the LAPD.
However, the suspect’s arm was pinned between the doors, and she allegedly lunged at the driver when the doors opened again. The suspect then grabbed the driver’s eyeglasses, broke the glasses, and scratched the driver’s face, police said.
The bus operator followed the suspect in an attempt to retrieve her glasses, leading to a second altercation, according to an LAPD news statement.
“Although the bus operator recovered her glasses, they were broken. The suspect then fled the area,” according to the statement.
The suspect was described as a 5-foot, 8-inch white female, approximately 30 years old, weighing about 180 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes.
Metro officials said they need the public’s help to prevent and prosecute such crimes, and the organization asked that anyone with information help the LAPD apprehend the assailant by calling the LAPD’s Central station at 213-996-1868 or, during nonbusiness hours at 877-527-3247.
Anonymous tips can be made to the LA Regional Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-222-TIPS (8477) or www.lacrimestoppers.org.
The Metro Board of Directors last week approved a pair of motions aimed at boosting safety on the transit system in response to a string of recent attacks involving drivers and passengers.
Most recently, a man was stabbed on a Metro bus in the Lynwood area last week. A few days earlier, a man was fatally shot on a Metro bus in Commerce.
The motions approved by the Metro board include a call for immediate deployment of more law enforcement on the transit system and at stations, along with exploration of possibly technological improvements that can be made on buses, trains and stations.
The board had previously voted to expedite the acquisition and installation of driver-protection barriers on about 2,000 buses.
