Tennessee 14-Year-Old In Custody After Stealing Bus & Trying To Hit Pedestrian

A 14-year-old is behind bars after stealing a school bus and allegedly trying to run someone over.  

The Tennessee teen, whose identity has not been released, committed the brazen joy ride on Saturday afternoon.  The Daily Mail reports the adolescent male stole the bus from Kipp College Prep in the Antioch area. From there, he “recklessly” drove the vehicle around the West Nashville area. Shortly before 4:00 p.m., he hit a pump at a gas station before trying to run over an innocent bystander at the same location. Luckily, that individual was not harmed.

The Metro Nashville Police Department says he then fled the scene, hopping on the interstate where he then hit a traveling car. Police saw this transpire and began to pursue the teen. Instead of stopping, the boy drove at a speed of up to 65 mph to get away from the officers. Eventually, in the chase, law enforcement laid down a spike strip, though the boy tried to make a U-turn, which was a slow maneuver given the size of the vehicle. This allowed officers time to break the door glass and access the bus. The teen was tased once police entered, but he is reportedly in good condition. 

The teen was transported to a juvenile offender facility. He is facing a long list of charges, including leaving the scene of a crash, vehicle theft, evading arrest, reckless driving, aggravated assault, driving without a license, and failure to report a crash. 

It is still unclear how the young man was able to obtain the keys to the bus.