SANTA MONICA (CNS) - A Metro bus driver was attacked overnight in Santa Monica, and a suspect was taken into custody, the third violent crime involving buses in less than a week.
The latest crime occurred near Fifth Street and Colorado Avenue, when a man approached the bus and wanted to get on, according to KTLA5.
He kicked in the glass door, which was closed, and then attacked the driver and fled. The driver was treated for unspecified injuries. The suspect was later arrested, KTLA5 reported.
The attack came less than a week after two other violent crimes involving Metro buses.
About 1:35 a.m. Saturday, a stabbing occurred on a Metro bus in the 2700 block of West Sunset Boulevard in the Silver Lake area.
An elderly male passenger was stabbed by another male passenger during an argument, according to Metro spokesman Jose Ubaldo. The Metro Line 4 bus was westbound on Sunset.
Paramedics rushed the victim to Los Angeles General Medical Center in stable condition, Ubaldo said, adding that the suspect was arrested by Los Angeles Police Department officers.
"Metro extends its sympathies to the victim," he said.
About 8:30 p.m. Saturday, a Metro bus driver was attacked in the South Los Angeles area, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department reported.
"The victim was driving his bus route when the suspect started yelling at him," a sheriff's department statement said.
"The victim stopped the bus at the intersection of 119th Street and Wilmington Avenue," the statement continued. "The suspect, without provocation, punched the victim in the face, then proceeded to stab the victim. The suspect exited the bus and fled northbound on Wilmington Avenue and out of view."
The wanted man was described as in his 30s, 5-feet-5 inches tall, weighing 185 pounds, and had a mustache. He was wearing a blue jacket and a blue beanie and was carrying a black backpack.
Anyone with information on the case was urged to call the sheriff's Transit Services Bureau at 213-541-2558. Tipsters may also call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS, or use the website http://lacrimestoppers.org.