LA bus passenger, 55, shot and killed driver who was young dad of two after he refused to stop because of dangerous traffic, police say

DAILYMAIL.COM • 1h ago

By ANANYA SWAROOP, US NEWS REPORTER 16:39 08 Oct 2026, updated 16:41 08 Oct 2026

An allegedly intoxicated passenger fatally shot a Los Angeles bus driver for not stopping at his destination because they were driving through heavy traffic.

Jose Antonio Zayas, 55, allegedly brutally murdered 42-year-old Culver City bus driver, Bruce Rodriguez, after he boarded a bus at around 5.00pm on October 1.

Two witnesses told the police that the passenger was allegedly intoxicated when the argument broke out over a missed stop, ABC 7 reported.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office alleged that Zayas then took out a handgun and shot the bus driver three times while the bus passed his stop along South Centinela Avenue in Mar Vista, the outlet reported.

After killing the innocent driver, the suspect got off the bus, took his bicycle that was racked at the front of the vehicle and fled the scene, according to prosecutors.

Prosecutors called the shooting a ‘senseless’ act that only occurred because Rodriguez, a father of two, was unable to halt the bus while it was navigating through moving, dangerous traffic.

‘This was a senseless and brutal act that took the life of a man simply doing his job and serving our community,’ Los Angeles City Councilwoman Traci Park said in the statement.

Zayas was arrested the next day and faces one count of murder with the special circumstance allegation of murder of transportation personnel and a special allegation that he personally used a firearm, the LA County District Attorney’s Office stated.

Rodriguez, who was a bus driver for 12 years, is survived by his wife Sandy Sanchez, a three-year-old son and a six-month-old baby.

‘He didn’t come home on Thursday,’ Sandy told the outlet. ‘No child should have to lose their father because he went to work,’ she said.

The family’s attorney said the driver was threatened with a knife just one month before this tragic incident.

Zayas made his initial court appearance on October 6. His arraignment was postponed to November 5 in Department 30 of the Foltz Criminal Justice Center. He is being held with no bail.

The man faces an additional charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm. If convicted, Zayas will face life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman remembered Rodriguez and called him a ‘valued colleague, a beloved father and husband.’

‘People relied on him every day to get them to where they needed to go. Our transit systems must be safe for every driver, commuter and community member, and this office will hold individuals fully accountable if they brazenly and violently break the law and shatter that sense of safety,’ he added.

Addressing the media, Hochman said that Zayas is ‘already a convicted felon for possession of a dangerous weapon’ from years before.

Kathy Sanchez, Rodriguez’s sister-in-law, set up an online fundraising page for the grieving family.

She said: ‘Bruce was his family’s primary provider. He took great pride in caring for the people he loved. His death changes their financial future overnight.’

Describing her brother-in-law, Sanchez added: ‘Bruce had an easygoing warmth about him and could get along with anyone. He loved making people laugh.’

‘He collected race cars, made his own Pan Dulce, and loved a good cup of coffee. These are the everyday pieces of Bruce that his family and friends will carry with them.’

The family has been able to raise $154,905 so far from the donations.

Last Saturday, family and friends gathered outside Wildwood Elementary School in Culver City for a memorial celebrating Rodriguez, the outlet reported.

They placed candles along the sidewalk at Centinela and Mitchell avenues in Mar Vista, marking the location where Rodriguez was killed.

Bus drivers attending the vigil said increased protections for drivers is necessary because violence and abuse have become a frequent part of their jobs.

‘It’s the physical abuse — they’re throwing urine, feces, liquids on us, food on us, spitting on us. These are things that drivers every day are faced with,’ Christine Ivey, a transit advocate from Santa Monica, told the outlet.

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