11-year-old steals school bus, leads police on chase before crash, Louisiana cops say
An 11-year-old faces several charges after leading Louisiana police on a chase across town in a stolen school bus.
The boy allegedly stole the bus from a local Head Start center before crashing into a tree outside a home early Sunday, according to Baton Rouge police. That’s when officers took him into custody.
“It was just unbelievable to see something like that,” homeowner Libby Smith told WGMB, recalling the moment officers arrested the boy in her front yard.
Authorities were alerted to the incident around 10:45 a.m., a spokesperson for Baton Rouge police told McClatchy News. The child fled police, taking the bus on a nearly 45-minute joy ride across the city, crashing into other vehicles before his final stop.
Resident Joy Gradney captured part of the chase on her phone, according to WAFB 9.
“As he got closer and closer and closer, I saw it’s a little boy in there and he was laughing,“ Gradney told the news station. “He was like giggling on the way across Florida Boulevard as he goes right past me. I’m like I can’t believe it’s a little boy.”
It’s unclear how he got a hold of the keys, but police officials said they believe the bus is a push-to-start, WAFB 9 reported.
The child is now charged with theft of a motor vehicle, aggravated flight, aggravated damage to property and aggravated assault, according to police.
