A suspect has been detained in the fatal shooting of a beloved Culver City bus driver, the Los Angeles Police Department announced Friday.
“The FBI Violent Crime Apprehension Task Force assisted West Bureau Homicide in locating and arresting a suspect in the brutal murder of a Culver City bus driver,” LAPD’s Gang and Narcotics Division said on social media Friday evening.
Jose Zayas, 55, was named as the suspect by the Los Angeles Police Department. Zayas was apprehended on the 3600 block of Motor Avenue Friday at 2:07 p.m. He was arrested and placed into a local jail on charges of murder. Zayas’ bail was set at $3 million.
The gunshot occurred just after 5 p.m. Thursday near the intersection of Centinela and Mitchell avenues, on the boundary between Culver City and Los Angeles. The Culver City bus driver was shot after a confrontation with the accused gunman, who was believed to be inebriated at the time, according to authorities.
The motorist was transported to a hospital, where he died of his injuries. Zayas allegedly fled the scene of the shooting before being apprehended.
“We believe he was intoxicated,” LAPD Captain Eric Eppolito stated. “Apparently, he had a verbal argument with the Culver City bus driver about missing an exit or heading in the wrong direction. That progressed to the point where our suspect pulled out a pistol, some type of handgun from a bag, resulting in a couple of bullets fired.”
The family of the driver murdered in the shooting named him as 42-year-old Bruce Rodriguez. Rodriguez’s cousin Lisette Landaverde-Meza told KTLA 5 News that he was married and has two small sons, a 3-year-old and a 6-month-old.
“I don’t know what our family is going to do without him,” Landaverde-Meza said.
Rodriguez’s sister-in-law, Kathy Sanchez, stated that he was well-liked by his customers and gave away Hot Wheels vehicles to smaller riders.
“His top priority was always to keep his passengers safe. “That was his big thing,” Sanchez explained. “… He knew how to diffuse a situation … keep people safe.”
Culver City Bus services are paused for the weekend to allow personnel to grieve. A GoFundMe page has been set up to cover Rodriguez’s burial expenses and to assist the family he leaves behind. As of Friday night, the page has raised over $10,000.”
“Bruce was his family’s primary provider,” the GoFundMe page states. “He took tremendous delight in looking after the people he loved. His death transforms their financial situation overnight. Sandy, his lovely wife and best friend, is currently caring for their two small children while grieving her husband’s death. Bruce’s parents have also lost their son, who helped care for them. We’re raising contributions to help Sandy and the Rodriguez family find stability as they adjust to life without Bruce.”
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