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Pedestrian Killed in DC Bus Hijacking

Police say man commandeered vehicle and drove off
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted May 3, 2016 12:17 PM CDT
Pedestrian Killed in DC Bus Hijacking
Police work the crime scene in northeast DC.   (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

A man attacked a bus driver, stole the bus, then struck and killed a pedestrian after the bus jumped a curb at a gas station Tuesday in Washington, DC, police said. The man boarded the bus and eventually got up from his seat and attacked the driver with what appeared to be a screwdriver or needle-nose pliers, reports NBC Washington. Passengers fled, and the driver hit the emergency button before getting off himself, said Police Chief Cathy Lanier, per the AP. The man shut the door and drove off, but as the bus pulled into a gas station parking lot, it went over a curb and hit the pedestrian, who was killed.

The man who stole the bus appeared distraught and was violent as officers took him into custody, said Lanier. "It was a bizarre incident," she noted. The string of events took place over just three minutes, with the gas station just five blocks from where the man boarded the bus. Metro officials tweeted that the bus driver was hurt but that his injuries were not life-threatening. They say passengers on the bus were not injured. (More bus stories.)

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