The passenger accused of fatally shooting a CulverCity bus driver after he wouldn’t stop the bus in traffic has been charged with murder, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Jose Antonio Zayas boarded the bus on Oct. 1, and at one point allegedly asked the bus driver to stop so he could get off.
The driver, Bruce Rodriguez, was unable to stop because of traffic and the position of the bus along South Centinela Avenue in Mar Vista at the time, according to a statement from the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.
Prosecutors alleged that Zayas took out a handgun and shot Rodriguez several times, killing him; Zayas then went to the front of the bus, took his bicycle from the rack and fled.
“This was a senseless and brutal act that took the life of a man simply doing his job and serving our community,” said Los Angeles City Councilwoman Traci Park in the statement.
Zayas was found the following day and arrested.
The 55-year-old faces special circumstance allegations with the murder charge, including the murder of transportation personnel and the use of a firearm. He faces an additional charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The deadly shooting prompted an outpouring of support for Rodriguez, who left behind a wife, a 3-year-old son and a 6-month-old baby.
Dozens of family and friends gathered outside Wildwood Elementary School in Culver City on Saturday for a memorial celebrating Rodriguez.
“Bruce served his community from behind the wheel,” Kathy Sanchez, Rodriguez’s sister-in-law said in a GoFundMe campaign. “The role he loved most was at home, where he got to be a husband and a dad.”
Zayas appeared in court Tuesday, but his arraignment was continued to Nov. 5, according to the district attorney’s office.
In a statement, Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman said the charges filed against Zayas were vital to keep passengers and drivers safe in the region’s public transportation system.
“Our transit systems must be safe for every driver, commuter and community member,” Hochman said in the statement.
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