Bus Driver Attacked By Man Who Broke Through Glass Door: Reports

SANTA MONICA, CA — A Metro bus driver was attacked early Thursday morning in Santa Monica after a man broke through the door of a parked bus, according to reports.

The incident occurred near 5th Street and Colorado Avenue at around 1:40 a.m. when a man approached the out-of-service bus, which was parked on the side of the street, and demanded to get on, according to the Santa Monica Daily Press.

After the driver refused to open the door, the man began attacking the bus. He eventually kicked the door hard enough to shatter the glass, prompting the driver to exit the vehicle, when the man struck the driver once in the face, the Daily Press reported.

The driver was treated for unspecified injuries. The suspect was later arrested, KTLA 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.

City News Service contributed to this report.