Armed Fort Jackson Trainee Arrested For Hijacking School Bus Full Of Kids

An armed Fort Jackson soldier in training was arrested Thursday morning (May 6) after reportedly hijacking a school bus full of children in Columbia, South Carolina.

According to Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott, a trainee in his third week at Fort Jackson fled the base around 7 a.m. armed with a rifle. He then reportedly approached a bus stop near Percival Road where 18 students were on board to Forest Lake Elementary School. The armed trainee then got on the bus and told the driver to take him to the next town, saying he "didn't want to hurt anyone," WLTX reports.

Shortly after, Lott said, the students on the bus grew curious and began asking the trainee several questions. Frustrated, he had the driver stop the bus near Old Percival Road and told the driver and students to leave the bus. He then drove away but discovered he couldn't handle driving the bus after a few miles. He fled the bus, leaving the rifle behind, to a nearby neighborhood where he attempted to find new clothes.

Officers, having received a call about a man near Interstate 77 attempting to flag down a car, arrived on scene and were able to capture the trainee. He is expected to face several counts of kidnapping charges.

Richland School District Two, which includes Forest Lake Elementary, is offering counseling to the children involved. Lott praised the bus driver for keeping calm amid the intense situation and for always keeping the young students in mind.

"You can just imagine they were scared to death," said Lott. "I'll give the bus driver credit, he kept his cool. His main concern was the safety of the kids and he did his job."

As of 11 a.m. Thursday, Fort Jackson officials have not commented specifically on the incident other than saying they are aware and working closely with the sheriff's department to respond.

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