A man wearing a surgical mask told a Metro bus driver Monday he had Ebola, prompting the hospitalization of the driver and
search for the suspect.
The man boarded the Route 33 bus with a woman at 1:45 p.m. at Venice Boulevard and Hoover Street, according to Paul Gonzales of Metro. As they got off the bus at Venice and Western Avenue, the man took off the mask and said not to mess with him because he had Ebola. He dropped the mask on the floor of the bus.
The driver was instructed by a dispatcher to take the bus to the Metro yard at 742 Mission St. in Lincoln Heights, Gonzales said.
The driver and the bus remained under quarantine until about 4 p.m., Gonzales said. Paramedics examined him, determined he had no fever and was in good condition, but he asked to be taken to a hospital to be examined further.
The sheriff’s department, which provides law enforcement services to Metro, will review security video from the bus in hopes of finding the man, Gonzales said.
Authorities regarded the claim the man had Ebola as “a hoax,” but the suspect is accused of making a terrorist threat, Gonzales said.
Sarah Kissell Garrett, a public information officer with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said her department investigated the matter after being consulted on the matter and “we don’t believe there is any cause for concern.”
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health investigated the matter after being consulted and “we don’t believe there is any cause for concern,” according to Public Information Officer Sarah Kissell Garrett.
The department recommended the matter be turned over to law enforcement, Kissell Garrett said.
