DASHCAM VIDEO: Police pursuit of bus that was stolen when the bus driver was forcibly removed from his driver’s seat at the Indian Springs Mall in Kansas City, Kansas. Notice that police officers passed the path of a flying, burning wheel just seconds before it blew (just after elapsed time 1:44 [1:35 on full version not shown).
Kansas City police started pursuit of an ATA bus just after 10:30 a.m. Friday after a male offender in his 40’s forcibly removed the female bus driver from her driver’s seat. There were no passengers aboard the bus. Police pursued the bus on Interstate 70, Interstate 635 and side streets with attempts to clear traffic ahead of the bus, but the bus hit at least two vehicles. Apparently unskilled driving or abusive driving caused the bus to catch fire, with smoke trailing the bus as police followed. A tire blew with mechanical failure of the burning bus, and the bus stopped at 34th Street and Parallel Parkway just before 11:00 a.m. A short foot pursuit continued until the offender surrendered with his hands up and was tackled and apprehended in Mount Hope Cemetery.
As the first tire blew, the bus rolled to a stop. A second flaming wheel, apparently including at least part of the metal wheel rim, blew off at least 30 feet away from the side of the bus with a force that could have killed a bystander or police officer involved in the pursuit. The bus involved was Bus S 133, which had just completed the 106 Quindaro Route.
The suspect Stephen Donnell, 47, was charged Friday afternoon with aggravated burglary, robbery and eluding a police officer. Suspect Stephen Donnell apparently had just attempted to carjack another victim at a motel in the 4800 block of State Avenue prior to The Metro bus hijacking.
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Additional Info …
Kansas City Transportation Authority — The Metro [Official Site]
A 46-year-old man faces charges after he led police on a short chase on a Kansas City ATA bus late Friday morning and threw the driver out of the vehicle at a KCK shopping center.
That flaming tire flying off the bus was awesome!