Fight between RTC bus driver and rider leads to Las Vegas shooting
An RTC bus driver shot a passenger Friday night after an altercation in the southwest valley, according to a preliminary police investigation.
Around 6:30 p.m., a fight broke out between a Regional Transit Commission bus driver and a passenger on the bus who was asked to leave, Metro Lt. Timothy Hatchett said.
The incident took place outside the bus, near Dean Martin Drive and Blue Diamond Road, he said.
“During the altercation the subject asked to leave the bus was shot,” Hatchett said.
A preliminary investigation indicates that the driver shot the person, he said.
The person who was shot suffered nonlife-threatening injuries and was taken into custody along with the driver, Hatchett said.
It is unclear what happened in the moments leading up to the fight.
“It appears there were no other passengers on the bus” when the fight and shooting occurred, Hatchett said. The person shot underwent surgery for the gunshot wound sustained on the left arm, he said.
Bus drivers are not allowed to carry firearms, said Bill Marion, a spokesman for Keolis Transit America, which contracts with the RTC to provide bus drivers.
The bus driver involved in Friday night’s incident is an employee of Keolis, and the company is “cooperating fully” with Metro, Marion said.
No more details were immediately available.
Contact Christian Bertolaccini at cbertolaccini@reviewjournal.com and 702-383-0381. Find him on Twitter: @bertolaccinic
