1 Read / Add Comments
A U.S. Army recruit from New Jersey said he was just trying to get back home when he hijacked a school bus carrying 18 children Thursday in South Carolina.
Jovan Collazo, 23 in his third week of basic training in Fort Jackson had escaped with his rifle which did not have any ammunition and was trying to flag drivers on Interstate 77 before stopping the bus around 7 a.m., Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said.
As the elementary school-aged children were getting on the bus, Collazo forced his way on and ordered the driver to drive, according to Lott.
Army trainee hijacks elementary school bus full of kids
Army trainee hijacks school bus full of children
Replay Video UP NEXT A Fort Jackson trainee is in custody after allegedly hijacking a South Carolina elementary school bus with 18 children on board while carrying a rifle, authorities said. The Forest Lake Elementary students and the bus driver are safe, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said at a news conference. The 23-year-old trainee s weapon did not have ammunition, Fort Jackson Commander Brig. Gen. Milford H. Beagle Jr. said at a news conference, adding that the children and driver could not have known that.
Cars approach the gate at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. (U.S. Army photo)
6 May 2021
An Army trainee was arrested Thursday morning in South Carolina after allegedly hijacking a school bus with 18 students onboard. Law enforcement officials say he ll now face multiple kidnapping charges.
The trainee, armed with a rifle and dressed in physical training gear, allegedly boarded a school bus that was headed to Forest Lake Elementary in Columbia, South Carolina, after fleeing Fort Jackson, a nearby basic training base, at about 7 a.m. The trainee told the bus driver he didn t want to hurt him, but needed a ride to the next town, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said during a Thursday morning press conference.
View Comments
COLUMBIA An Army trainee has been arrested after authorities say he boarded a South Carolina school bus with a gun Thursday and held the driver and elementary students hostage before letting them off the bus.
During a news conference, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said the incident started at around 7 a.m. near Fort Jackson, the U.S. Army s largest basic training facility, located in Columbia.
The trainee, dressed in physical therapy clothes, ran off post and escaped with a rifle from the installation, Lott said. Deputies then started receiving calls about someone standing on a nearby interstate flagging down cars.