Suspect arrested in shooting on bus in Baldwin Park that injured innocent passenger
BALDWIN PARK, Calif. (KABC) -- A 32-year-old from West Covina was arrested Tuesday in connection with a shooting on a Foothill Transit bus in Baldwin Park.
According to the California Highway Patrol, Juan Mario Trejo was taken into custody just 20 hours after the shooting that left an innocent passenger injured. Trejo was arrested in the East Los Angeles area and was charged attempted murder.
He's being held at the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Inmate Reception Center on $1 million bail.
"During the investigation, several crucial leads were developed that led to the arrest of the suspect," said CHP Lt. Saul Gomez during a press conference on Tuesday.
Gomez said footage from inside the bus played "a very important role" in tracking down Trejo.
"This individual has had multiple run-ins with law enforcement. That's as much as I can tell you," Gomez told reporters.
Shooting details
Investigators said gunfire erupted around 6 p.m. Monday as the bus was pulling up to the Puente Avenue stop on the westbound 10 Freeway.
Trejo and another man began arguing, leading to Trejo pulling out a gun and opening fire, according to CHP. Authorities said the bus driver tried to calm things down before the suspect pulled out the gun.
"The bus driver, from what we understand, did everything that he was trained to do by trying to diffuse the situation and mitigate it as best as possible," said Gomez on Monday. "Unfortunately, we have someone that was hurt as a result of this criminal."
A woman in her 50s was inadvertently struck and then rushed to a hospital with injuries described as not life-threatening, the CHP said. She has since been released and is expected to make a full recovery.
The second person involved in the fight was not injured.
Meanwhile, Foothill Transit CEO Doran Barnes thanked CHP officers for their swift work.
"There are many issues that are facing our communities, including mental health, homelessness, drug addiction,'' Barnes said. "And unfortunately we see these issues that are affecting our community widely and spill over to our transit system. Safety continues to be our top priority and we will continue to lean in to do everything we can to keep the system as absolutely safe as we possibly can.''
The incident remains under investigation. Anyone with additional information is urged to call the CHP Southern Division Major Crimes Unit at 323-644-9550.
