Prosecutors on Monday charged murder, kidnapping, robbery and motor vehicle charges against the man suspected of hijacking an LA Metro bus last week, killing a passenger and leading police on an hour-long chase through downtown Los Angeles. He was charged with Jack’s crime.
Lamont A. Campbell faces a total of 12 charges, including special charges of use of a firearm during a crime and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
A criminal complaint revealed that at least one passenger on the hijacked bus was robbed during the ordeal, but officials said the motive for Campbell’s actions remains “under investigation.” ”.
“If convicted, Mr. Campbell faces a total of 90 years and nine months in prison, up to life in prison,” Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon said in a statement.
Campbell, 51, was arrested last week when Los Angeles Police Department SWAT officers burst into the bus, rescued the bus driver and injured a passenger, later identified as Anthony Rivera, who was bleeding from a gunshot wound to the thigh. ) was arrested after trying to save him.
Rivera, 48, died at a hospital.
He was riding the Metrobus home from work at Dodger Stadium when Dodger Stadium was occupied.
“I just want justice for my son,” Rivera’s mother, Teresa, told the I-Team last week as she called on authorities to improve public transport safety.
The man accused of subway busjacking has been charged with murder and kidnapping. Camila Rambaldi reports on NBC4 News on Monday, September 30, 2024 at 4:00 p.m.
Court documents filed Monday said several other passengers on the bus were victims of various crimes that occurred during the hijacking.
Janice Hahn, Los Angeles County Supervisor and Chair of the Metro Transit System Board of Directors, said the crimes that occur on the subway system often reflect what happens in the communities they serve. He said that
“But if an incident happens on a subway bus or train, obviously it becomes national news,” Hahn said.
“I don’t think this is the only place we’ve had busjackings. I think it’s happened in several other cities around the country,” she said.
Hahn said he supports some sort of screening system to prevent people from bringing weapons onto buses and trains, and said he would like to see a more visible law enforcement presence.
Campbell was scheduled to make his first appearance in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom on Monday, but he refused to be taken to court, according to reporters following the case. Officials expected Mr. Campbell to be in court for arraignment on Tuesday.
Court and jail records show Campbell previously served two terms in state prison for drug trafficking and sales convictions and pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor drug possession charge in 2018.
Gascón said Monday that Campbell had several previous arrests involving violent acts that did not result in charges, and that Campbell was last arrested in 2020 on suspicion of selling drugs.
