Teenager Steals School Bus, Leads Officers on Interstate Chase: Police

Police arrested a 14-year-old boy for allegedly stealing a school bus in Nashville, Tennessee, and then attempting to run someone over and evade arrest, according to local law enforcement.

The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD) said the teenager was eventually stopped on the I-40 as he attempted to turn around by officers who smashed the glass door on the bus to gain entry and take him into custody.

The suspect, from Antioch, was transferred to a juvenile court and faces a number of charges including vehicle theft, aggravated assault, evading police, and driving without a license.

Local police report the boy stole the bus from Kipp College Prep, on Murfreesboro Pike, shortly before 4 pm on Saturday afternoon. He then headed west across Nashville, attempting to hit a person at a market, according to the MNPD.

According to local network WHIO-TV, the teenager also hit a fuel pump at Casey’s Market on Centennial Boulevard, then made contact with a car after going onto Interstate 40 westbound. Police pursued the fleeing bus – which reached speeds of 65 miles per hour – before deploying a spike strip by the McCrory Lane exit.

In an effort to avoid the spike strip, the suspect tried to turn the vehicle around, at which time officers were able to gain entry to the bus by smashing open the glass door and windows.

A Taser was deployed on the 14-year-old, who was then taken into custody without further incident.

According to police, the suspect has been charged with vehicle theft, aggravated assault, evading police, driving without a license, reckless driving, failure to report a crash, and leaving the scene of a crash.

In a summary of the incident, posted on Twitter the MNPD wrote: “A 14-yr-old has been arrested after stealing a school bus and driving it onto I-40 west.

“He stopped on the interstate and was attempting to turn around when officers broke out the glass to the bus door and took the teen into custody. He is booked on multiple counts at Juv [Juvenile] Court.”

In April, police in Pennsylvania arrested a man for allegedly stealing a school bus that he used to transport a dead deer, then leading police on a chase that ended with him fleeing on foot, whilst taking off his clothes.

After running “through parking lots and busy traffic areas” the naked suspect, 25-year-old Tony Saunders, was arrested and admitted he had stolen the bus earlier in the day.

One police officer and a civilian were injured in a separate incident that took place in December 2021 when a man stole a school bus and rammed into vehicles in Brooklyn, New York. Officers were only able to arrest the suspect after the bus he was driving broke down.

Earlier this month, a video of a teenager explaining why she missed the school bus went viral on TikTok, receiving over five million views.