A man stabbed a woman waiting at a bus stop at Marengo and State streets in northeast L.A. on Monday morning, authorities said.
The incident took place around 8:10 a.m. when the woman was attacked with a 3-inch knife, said Officer David Cuellar, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson.
The stabbing took place at a DASH bus stop, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority said.
A Metro ambassador at the stop saw the victim and helped escort her to nearby Los Angeles General Medical Center (formerly L.A. County/USC Medical Center), according to Metro. Witnesses then helped LAPD officers track down the suspect, who was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, Cuellar said.
Police did not release the names of the suspect or the victim, who was described simply as a woman about 50 years old. The suspect was described as a 30-year-old transient man.
“Metro extends its gratitude to the transit ambassador who provided critical assistance to a woman who was assaulted while sitting at a city of L.A. bus stop,” the transit system said in its statement.
County Supervisor Hilda Solis released a statement saying she was “deeply concerned by the alarming incident” and commending the quick action of the Metro ambassador.
“We must ensure that our public transportation system, including all bus stops, is safe for everyone,” she said. “I will continue to advocate for increased security measures and resources to prevent situations like this one from happening again.”
Metro has more than 300 unarmed ambassadors, who wear green T-shirts and provide assistance to riders at bus stops, train stations and on public transportation, according to Metro.
They are not responsible for law enforcement but do report incidents to authorities and are trained to use Narcan to reverse overdoses. Launched as a pilot in 2022 to help people feel more comfortable using transit, the program became permanent in 2023.
Concerns over safety on public transportation were thrust back into the spotlight last month when Metro experienced its second bus hijacking in six months — an incident that left one passenger dead and prompted renewed promises to focus on security.