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This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.

News

Metro Offers $25,000 Reward For Man Who Knocked Out Bus Driver

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A man who left a bus driver unconscious after a fare dispute is being sought by authorities, with a $25,000 reward being offered.

County Supervisor Mike Antonovich, who also chairs the Metro board of directors, announced the reward Tuesday. The price is $25,000 for information leading to the arrest of the man who attacked the driver.

The assault occurred 7:35 p.m. Friday, May 10 as a Metro bus was at Ventura Boulevard and Laurel Canyon Boulevard.

According to the press release, the suspect boarded Metro Bus line 150 in Studio City and became angry with driver over a fare dispute. The suspect then punched the driver in the head, knocking him unconscious before fleeing the scene.

The assailant was described as a Hispanic man in his mid-20s, between 5' 8" and 5' 10" tall, with a thin build and long shoulder-length dark hair in a ponytail. He was wearing a black Chicago Bulls hat, a black T-shirt and black baggy jeans and black shoes with white soles.

The bus driver, whose name was not released, is recuperating at home. He is a a six-year veteran of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. He was transported to Sherman Oaks Hospital where he was treated and later released. He remains off duty due to his injuries and emotional trauma suffered as a result of the attack.

Sponsored message

Anyone with information is asked to call Detective James Eggers of the Los Angeles Sheriff's Transit Services Bureau at (213) 922-3625. You can also provide a tip anonymously: call “LA Crime Stoppers” by dialing 800-222-TIPS (8477), texting the letters TIPLA plus your tip to CRIMES (274637), or go to LA Crimestoppers.

Reward funding is made possible by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

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