A man died Feb. 22 after being pepper-sprayed by an unknown male assailant on a Metro bus in the Koreatown area of Los Angeles.
The attacker sprayed the victim after they got into an argument while riding the bus, according to authorities.
Police said the victim was a 63-year-old man but did not provide more information pending notification of family.
A detective told ABC7 that the medical examiner will be able to provide more information about the victim’s cause of death, since pepper spray is not lethal.
Officers from the Los Angeles Police Department’s Olympic Division arrived at the scene, at the intersection of Western Avenue and Olympic Boulevard, at approximately 10:49 a.m. after receiving a call about an altercation with a deadly weapon, according to authorities.
The victim was pronounced dead at the scene after paramedics from the Los Angeles Fire Department arrived at the scene.
Police say the suspect, believed to be in his 30s and described as wearing black clothing and rainbow-colored shoes, ran off the bus in an unknown direction after he allegedly attacked the man. He is currently at large, authorities said.
According to ABC7, Metro confirmed both men were passengers and will be working with the LAPD’s investigation about the incident.
In a statement reported by the news outlet, Metro said serious crime on the city’s trains and buses has, overall, declined, month over month, due to the addition of transit security officers and law enforcement teams riding key bus lines.
But they said any crime on the transit system is unacceptable.
“[O]ne crime is too many and will not be tolerated,” the agency said in the statement.
