Rising Safety Concerns on LA's Metro Transit System Following Recent Stabbing Incident

A 17-year-old boy has been arrested in connection with the brutal stabbing of an L.A. Metro bus driver in Woodland Hills, leaving the driver in critical condition. This incident is part of a trend of unruliness that predates the pandemic, with 158 operators being assaulted last year. L.A. Metro is attempting to curtail such incidents by installing new prototype barriers on some buses and adding 40 additional transit security officers. The agency's 2024 budget includes an increase in public safety funding of $10.3 million, along with an additional $13 million for transit security and $10 million for homeless outreach and mental health crisis services.