(AP) — Long Beach police say a shuttle bus driver who took passengers on a long, scary ride wasn't kidnapping them: he was just lost.
Passengers began jumping out of the bus windows Thursday night when their expected five-minute ride to the "Dark Harbor" Halloween event at the Queen Mary tourist attraction turned into a long ride into neighboring Carson.
The Long Beach Press-Telegram says police report the driver became disoriented by street closures.
Some of the 20 to 30 passengers on board said the driver refused to heed their demands to stop the bus. Cellphone video showed some jumping out of windows. After several 911 calls, authorities stopped the bus.
Authorities say they're still looking into a battery allegation that the driver punched a man who wanted him to stop.
Passengers told KABC-TV they pleaded with the driver to stop and let them off but he wouldn't respond, and when he struck a rider they began jumping out the bus windows.
