A man who allegedly shot a Metro driver shortly after boarding the victim’s bus last Sunday morning has been charged with murder and is scheduled to be arraigned June 12 in Beverly Hills Superior Court.
Anthony Craig Chambers, 41, of Los Angeles, could face the death penalty, if convicted. He is charged with the slaying of 51-year-old Alan Thomas, who had worked for the Metropolitan Transportation District for five years.
The murder charge includes the special circumstance allegations of lying in wait and murder of transportation personnel.
Prosecutors will decide later whether to seek a death sentence against Chambers, who allegedly pulled a shotgun from a suitcase, approached the driver and shot him twice shortly after boarding the bus.
Chambers was detained after he was seen climbing out of the window of the bus on Santa Monica Boulevard west of La Cienega Boulevard following the shooting, which occurred shortly after 9 a.m., according to a sheriff’s spokeswoman.
Thomas died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center less than a half-hour later.
Two guns were found on the bus, according to reports from the scene.
Metro spokesman Rick Jager said Thomas had been driving a Route 105 bus east on Santa Monica Boulevard when he was shot. Route 105 runs from West Hollywood south on La Cienega Boulevard, and then east on Vernon Avenue. An MTA bus yard is located near that intersection, which is one block from the West Hollywood sheriff’s station.
