Driver Disables Bus, Foils Passenger's Attempt To Steal It

PALMDALE, Calif. (AP) -- The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department says a man tried to steal a transit bus but was thwarted when the driver disabled the vehicle.

Several people were on the bus but no one was injured.

Forty-three-year-old Richard Martin was arrested for investigation of attempted kidnapping and auto theft. Deputies say he stated he wanted to go see his family.

The man was a passenger on the bus around 3 p.m. Thursday when the driver stopped at an intersection in the Little Rock area of Palmdale. Authorities say that when the driver left his seat, the man ran and jumped into it, yelling to passengers that he was taking them.

The driver disabled the bus electronically. When deputies arrived, Martin was arrested without incident. An attorney for Martin was not listed on booking records.