A 43-year-old man was arrested in Palmdale on suspicion of attempting to steal a bus and kidnap the passengers to go see his family, authorities said Friday.
It happened at Palmdale Boulevard and 90th Street East around 3:10 p.m. Thursday, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
The bus driver told deputies that the alleged thief, Richard Martin, was a passenger on the bus. When the bus stopped and the driver got out of his seat, Martin allegedly ran to the front of the bus and jumped into the driver’s seat, yelling that he was going to take the bus and all the passengers.
The bus driver managed to disable the bus electronically to stop the theft. Martin was still in the driver’s seat when deputies arrived, according to the department.
Martin said he was taking the bus because he wanted to go visit his family, according to deputies at the scene. He was arrested, booked on suspicion of kidnapping and auto theft, and was being held in lieu of $100,000 bail.
—Staff and wire reports
>> Want to read more stories like this? Get our Free Daily Newsletters Here!