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Alleged Shooter, Fatally Wounded Bus Driver Identified

LA County Sheriff has booked Anthony Craig Chambers on suspicion of murder in the fatal shooting of MTA bus driver Alan Thomas on Sunday in West Hollywood. Chambers is being held on $1 million bail.

The man suspected of fatally shooting an MTA bus driver in West Hollywood on Sunday is in custody today.

Anthony Craig Chambers, 41, of Los Angeles was arrested at the scene of the crime on Sunday morning. Today, he was booked on suspicion of murder. He is being held at the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department’s Twin Tower facility on $1 million bail.

Chambers is accused of fatally shooting Alan Thomas, the 51-year-old bus driver who has worked for MTA for five years.

Chambers was detained after he was seen climbing out of the window of the Metro bus on Santa Monica Boulevard at West Knoll Drive (near the Koo Koo Roo) following the fatal shooting at 9:09 a.m. Sunday.

Reports say Chambers tried to flee but surrendered to Sheriff’s Deputies quickly. Two guns were found on the bus

Thomas died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center at 9:30 a.m. Sunday

Metro spokesman Rick Jager said Thomas had been driving a Route 105 bus east on Santa Monica Boulevard when he was shot by a passenger. Route 105 runs from West Hollywood south on La Cienega Boulevard, and then east on Vernon Avenue.

Thomas had just begun his route, coming from the MTA bus yard at Santa Monica Boulevard and San Vicente Boulevard, a half mile away from the intersection where the shooting occurred.

Reports say that no one else was on the bus.

City News Service contributed to this article.

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Mike Dunn May 22, 2012 at 07:19 am
I was deeply saddened by the shooting and killing of MTA Bus Operator Thomas. I retired as a Supervisor with the MTA a little over a year ago. With over 3000 Bus Operators I'm not positive if I ever had contact with him. I worked out of division Seven for many years but the last few my department was moved downtown. While at the MTA and previous RTD I knew of operators dying in traffic accidents and of course of illness but none ever of murder. It's a sad day at the MTA. Monday night there was a vigil at the scene of this tragic incident just blocks from Division 7. Cages have been discussed before after unprovoked attacks on MTA Bus Operators but the idea has always been shot down. Perhaps it's time to isolate the Bus Operators like they do for the Rail Operators. The technology is there, San Francisco's bus system uses cages on buses assigned to late night service. However that friendly "Welcome Aboard" recited by many operators will be a thing of the passed.
May God Be With You Alan Thomas!
Brian May 22, 2012 at 01:44 pm
I take MTA daily, and I feel genuinely sad that this happened. Although I was not there, and do not know the details, I take issue with @Mike Dunn's use of the qualitative term 'unprovoked'.
For one we do not know what happened since we were not there. Second, the most extreme cases of provocation (of which I have seen MANY on the #4) I see on buses are from the drivers themselves. Some of them are just plain awful. No, this man did not deserve to get shot at work but we have to understand that there might be other things involved, and Metro NEEDS to retrain their drivers for safety AND customer service.
Mike Dunn May 22, 2012 at 01:59 pm
Brian commented about the tragedy but took issue with my use of "unprovoked attack." This is a MTA term used whenever an Operator is physically attacked or involved in a physical altercation. It's just one of the many terms used some of which would have your head shaking until you under stood them. It does not place blame on either individual, more of just a classification of an incidents.
Brian May 22, 2012 at 03:00 pm
Thank you for the clarification. As I stated, it is.a tragedy, and I was very grateful for the drivers that still worked yesterday...and everyday really...
Shauna May 22, 2012 at 04:13 pm
We are dealing with a mentally imbalanced society with all the street drug and prescription drugs that are abuse... You ask any of Anthony Chambers friends or family if they thought he would ever be capable of murdering someone because a computer told him to; they would definitely say, no! Not that drugs is an excuse by any means for what Chambers has put society and the Thomas family through by any means, but it does help us gain some kind of understanding, even if it does not make us feel any safer. The bus drivers have to be protected in someway from such issues in society. My heart goes out to the Thomas and Chambers families because they all have lost here.
MICHAEL YANAK May 22, 2012 at 09:06 pm
maybe now the MTA will
Kenneth Dotson May 23, 2012 at 05:46 am
Yes, indeed this is a very disheartened time, when a bus driver is short point blink in the chest, by a passenger, who at this point we don’t know way this happen. Yet, loss is always hard, to lose someone whom you loved all your life. Understanding death has no use for time, because no time is any better, or any worse. Cancel twenty years or eighty-nine, love’s a loss one cannot reimburse. Families are in total disarray of what has happen, left to pick up the pieces and try to move forward with their lives. So, I asked how many more lives, will it take for the MTA Company to prevent this from happen again. You may asked why MTA; your company, your drivers, your buses, that’s three very good reasons, MTA stated that there has only been one other death in the history of the company and that was a rubbery back in the 60’s and now this tragedy, that’s two death too many . Also I asked why no security on the buses, someone whom is train in this area to handle matter of this nature, MTA trained your drivers to drive the bus, safety and customer service. How many more family members, Mother’s, father’s, brothers, sisters and wife’s and husbands have to suffer, when a love one does not returned home from a day work? RIP Allen, may this tragedy not end in vain. Ken
Mike Dunn May 23, 2012 at 09:12 am
Although every bus does not have a Sheriff on board plan cloths deputies do ride the buses and trains. Plus many incidents are perpetrated by the same individuals over and over again. All buses and trains have several cameras operating at all times so identifying the suspects and their exact actions are recorded and most are arrested within days.
operator 3210 May 26, 2012 at 06:56 pm
This has really hit home for me...I have heard about other places of work violence far as the post office,Edison,even federal agents had to kill one of there own in recent news but when its one of your own Co Worker who was doing there job being nice and not provoking a situation and be murder in such a senseless coward way is beyond me..Chamber have for ever change many lives..My prayer are with the Thomas family and justice will prevail.. I hope the Company i have work for past 6 will take our safety seriously..This is two of the history of transit and thats to many...I didn't, no Mr. Thomas personally but he was an operator just like me who try to do the best every day. We are train intently but what training is there when you are murder for doing your job....
operator 3210 May 26, 2012 at 06:59 pm
This has really hit home for me...I have heard about other places of work violence far as the post office,Edison,even federal agents had to kill one of there own in recent news but when its one of your own Co Worker who was doing there job being nice and not provoking a situation and be murder in such a senseless coward way is beyond me..Chamber have for ever change many lives..My prayer are with the Thomas family and justice will prevail.. I hope the Company i have work for past 6 will take our safety seriously..This is two of the history of transit and thats to many...I didn't, no Mr. Thomas personally but he was an operator just like me who try to do the best every day. We are train intently but what training is there when you are murder for doing your job....
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