Man Hijacks Bus In Austin Then Kills Himself, Driver And Passengers Unharmed

A man hijacks a bus in Austin, TX and ordered the driver and the two passengers to get off. The hijacker then forced officers on a 30-mile chase before pulling over and killing himself.

The Austin-American Statesman reported that the man boarded the bus at around 4:30 p.m. Saturday and forced everyone to leave the vehicle. He then got behind the steering wheel and drove off.

Police spotted the bus and immediately pursued it. They attempted several times to get the driver to pull over, but he repeatedly refused.

Oficers then put down road spikes to deflate the bus tires. The hijacker eventually pulled the bus over in an AutoZone parking lot.

According to police, they heard a gunshot as they surrounded the bus. They saw that the man who hijacked the transit bus fatally shot himself. His name has remained unreleased by the police.

Capital Metro’s, the official operator of the bus line, spokesman Dan Dawson said that their bus drivers are trained to deal with difficult situations like the one that occurred Saturday. He said that there are cameras on the buses and drivers can reach emergency dispatchers if and when help is needed.