Man Steals School Bus, Goes on Dangerous Demolition Derby

A man allegedly stole an empty bus from his employer on Tuesday at about 7:15 a.m. The suspect then went on a 15-minute, miles long rampage, reaching speeds of 50 mph, with police in pursuit. The destructive odyssey also put drivers and pedestrians in danger, careening through residential neighborhoods, intentionally ramming other vehicles.

KIRO 7 News reported the suspect is an employee of TransWest in the SoDo district of Seattle, just south of downtown.

Investigators have no motive for the employee allegedly stealing the 33,000-pound bus. When the suspect left the parking lot, he struck a forklift, stop sign, and a fence. He traveled east, police say, deliberately ramming other cars and smashing into various objects. He ran red lights and swerved across lanes of traffic.

C.Y. Lee said he got a call from the tech where his car was in for repair. “He said you’re not going to get your car back…. He went on to explain it had been hit by a bus.”

Images on KIRO TV showed when the bus smashed into Lee’s Suzuki, it jammed it under a Costco delivery truck. Lee added, “The car is totaled, but it’s amazing the tech who was driving the car is okay.”

Another man was about to put his child in a car seat when he heard loud pops! He thought they were gunshots. He grabbed his child out of the car seat and then realized a bus crashing into cars.

Of the at least 20 vehicles the suspect allegedly hit, including a King County Metro bus, remarkably, victims reported only minor injuries. KING 5 News reported, “A spokesperson for King County Metro said the stolen bus hit a Metro coach head-on.

Next, the suspect smashed into a construction site for the new light rail station in the Central District.

Not finished, the suspect struck a Metro bus station, tearing it out of the ground. The bus finally stopped after ramming into a concrete bulkhead.

The suspect jumped from the bus and ran from the police, but he was quickly captured and arrested.

The suspect was transported to the hospital for minor injuries and to have a blood tox screening done. Police booked the suspect into the King County Jail for investigation of vehicular assault and auto theft.

TransWest told police the suspect was not qualified to drive the bus. The company issued a statement saying they are doing an internal investigation and are cooperating with the police.

Police are still looking for additional witnesses or victims who should call 911 if they have any information to report.

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Steve Pomper

Steve Pomper is an author, freelance writer, and retired Seattle police officer. During his career, he served as a field training officer, on the Community Police Team, and as a mountain bike patrol coordinator. He’s written five books, including The Obama Gang and De-Policing America, and he is a contributor to the National Police Association and a freelance writer for The Tatum Report.

Originally from New England, he’s a Boston sports fan. He now lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife, Jody, a retired firefighter. He enjoys spending time with his adult kids and three grandchildren.