DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ga. — A man crashed into a school bus with children on board attempting to run from Douglas County deputies on Friday.
Patrol deputies with Douglas County Sheriff's Office reported that they were trying to pull over a car for a traffic stop around 7:20 a.m. They said the driver turned into a service station south on Fairburn Road near Old Lee Road when the deputy pulled them over, but claim he drove off.
The deputy followed the car down West County Line Road, where the driver turned right and couldn't be seen. Their office said the deputy decided to patrol Stone Wood Subdivision for the suspect.
When the deputy reached the subdivision, they reported the car had lost control and crashed into a school bus on Oakleaf Lane. The 12 students on board and the bus driver were not injured, according to the office. The driver ran on foot into the woods but was found shortly later hiding in a shed.
The office said that all available deputies and investigators "saturated the area" to find the driver, given "that there were many students in the area waiting at bus stops."
Deputies said a pistol was found in the floorboard of the car, and the driver faces the following charges with more to come:
- Felony Fleeing
- Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon
- Possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime
- Hit and run
- Obstruction of a law enforcement officer
- Criminal damage to government property
- Reckless driving
- Use of a license plate to conceal the identity of a vehicle
- Failure to stop at a stop sign
Douglas County Sherriff's Office did not specify why the driver was being pulled over in the first place but said it was a traffic stop violation.