Security guard stabbed near Hollywood subway station; Intruder fatally shot

LOS ANGELES – A security guard was stabbed and a suspected intruder was fatally shot near a subway station in East Hollywood on Tuesday. This is the latest in a series of violent incidents that are raising safety concerns about Los Angeles’ public transit system.

According to the Los Angeles Police Department, officers responded to the Vermont/Sunset station near Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital to a report of a knife attack that turned into a shooting.

An investigation revealed that a Metro security officer encountered an intruder in a restricted area of ​​the station. An altercation broke out between the two, officials said. The guard used pepper spray to subdue the suspect, who in turn stabbed the guard in the leg. This led to the security guard shooting the suspect, officials said.

The guard was taken to hospital where his condition remains stable. The suspect died at the scene.

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This incident is just the latest in a wave of violent attacks on bus drivers and passengers.

Back in April, there were three different attacks on Metro buses within a week. In one of those attacks, a Metro bus driver was stabbed while traveling on his route in Willowbrook.

After those attacks and the death of a woman who was stabbed on the Metro B Line subway in Studio City, Metro officials accelerated efforts to procure and install protective barriers for riders on thousands of buses, while also testing other security improvements throughout the system.

But that precaution is already being called into question after a LADOT bus driver was attacked in South Los Angeles on Sunday — and it was all caught on camera. In that attack, investigators confirmed the suspect was taken into custody and the bus driver did not require hospitalization.

On Friday, Metro bus drivers participated in a sickout in response to concerns about their safety on public transit.

LADOT operates exclusively in the city of Los Angeles, while Metro serves the entire county.

City News Service contributed to this report.