DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ga. — A police chase led to a school bus being hit in Douglas County Thursday morning. No one was hurt but there were a dozen students on the bus at the time, the Douglas County Sheriff's Office said.
It all started when a deputy encountered a blue BMW traveling south in the northbound lane of Fairburn Road near Old Lee Road. The car pulled into a service station, where the sheriff's office said the deputy attempted to initiate a traffic stop.
The driver took off driving northbound on Fairburn Road and then turned right onto Mack Road. The chase continued to West County Line Road, where the driver turned right. As the deputy reached the intersection, the sheriff's office said they lost sight of the BMW.
That's when the sheriff's office said the deputy decided to patrol Stone Wood Subdivision to search for the BMW. When the deputy entered the subdivision, the deputy saw the driver had hit a school bus. The sheriff's office said the driver ran into the woods. A pistol was found in the floorboard of his car, they said.
"With the knowledge that there were many students in the area waiting at bus stops, all available deputies, investigators, and command staff members immediately saturated the area in an attempt to locate him expeditiously," the sheriff's office wrote on its social media page.
The driver was taken into custody a short time later hiding in a shed, according to the sheriff's office.
The driver faces a number of charges including 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, and failure to stop at a stop sign. The Douglas County Sheriff added more charges are anticipated.
"The Douglas County school bus had 12 students and the driver on board. They were checked out by Douglas County EMS and there were no reported injuries," the sheriff's office said.
Douglas County Schools released the following statement after the incident:
We are incredibly grateful our students and bus driver did not suffer any serious injury from the collision.
Our educators and bus drivers carry an enormous responsibility to protect the safety of our school community. We appreciate their investment in the future of our students. With their support and the work of our law enforcement officers and the Douglas School System Police Department, we will continue working to provide students with a safe learning environment and secure, dependable transportation.
