On Monday a man wearing a surgical mask announced that he had Ebola as he walked off a Metro bus, threw his mask on the floor and disappeared into the city.
Boarding the bus at 1:45 p.m. at Venice Boulevard and Hoover Street, the man accompanied by a woman, travelled for a short distance and departed the bus at Venice and Western Ave. The Los Angeles Times reported that before the man got off the bus he yelled, “Don’t mess with me, I have Ebola!”
Paul Gonzales of Metro said the driver was told by a dispatcher to take the bus to the Metro yard at 742 Mission St. in Lincoln Heights, where the bus driver and the bus were quarantined until about 4 p.m..
Gonzales added that paramedics examined the driver and determined that he had no fever and was in good condition. The bus driver requested that he be taken to a hospital to be further examined.
Breitbart News has reported that it can take up to three weeks before Ebola virus symptoms become apparent. Paramedics determining that he was in good condition may be premature if the suspect does indeed have the Ebola virus.
Gonzales said the sheriff’s department will review surveillance video from the bus in hopes of identifying the man. According to Gonzales, authorities consider the incident a hoax.
The Los Angeles Times, further reported that Metro spokesman Marc Littman said that the occurrence is being investigated as a possible terrorist threat because of the fear it incited.
The bus driver was taken to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center for observation. The Times does not say that any of the passengers who were on the bus were being detained for further examination.
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