Man allegedly causes bus collision while trying to escape police
A bus collision in Glendale on Tuesday morning was allegedly caused by a man trying to escape from police after punching a custodian at the Glendale Galleria, authorities say.
The Metro bus was stopped at Central Avenue and Colorado Street when the man reportedly got into an altercation with the driver, causing it to collide into another vehicle occupied by a single driver. The man was trying to escape from authorities after allegedly punching a mall employee in the face 20 minutes earlier.
Sgt. Dan Suttles, a spokesman for the Glendale Police Department, said the punch was over an argument regarding the man’s backpack.
“The guy was carrying a backpack through the mall and said every time he does … police think he’s going to steal something, so he threw it in the trash to pick it up later,” he said.
When the man returned to retrieve his bag he found the custodian emptying the container. Suttles said the man became angry and punched the mall employee, who fell to the ground.
Police attempted to stop the man but he quickly fled from the mall.
An officer went to inform a bus driver at a nearby stop to be on the lookout for the man when the transit operator realized the suspect was already seated in the back of his vehicle.
“[The suspect] was trying to kick the window out of the bus and then rushed to the front and got into it with the driver … causing the bus to crash,” Suttles said.
The man was taken into custody and identified as Quintavi Jones, a 22-year-old from Van Nuys. He was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and battery.
Suttles also said Jones had a warrant out for his arrest for a failure to appear in court.
No one on the bus suffered injuries, while the driver of the car was examined by paramedics. The custodian was also examined by medical personnel and suffered only minor injuries.
Twitter: @Andy_Truc
