2 Accused of Threatening School Bus Riders With Firearms

LAFAYETTE, La. — A 19-year-old man was arrested on Sunday night for allegedly threatening students on a school bus on Thursday.

Another suspect, a 15-year-old, had already been taken into custody in connection with the incident.

According to a press release from the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office, Vontraven Thibeaux and the juvenile suspect were accused of “terrorizing the occupants of a school bus with a firearm last Thursday.”

KATC reported that as the school bus driver was taking students home, the 15-year-old attempted to board the bus at a stop, but the driver put the teen off of the bus, a Lafayette Parish School System spokesman said.

Sheriff's deputies told KATC that after the teen stepped off, he pulled out a gun and pointed it at the bus, as did Thibeaux, who was with the teen. The school district spokesman told KATC that the school bus driver drove to a safe location to call police.

There were reportedly about 15 students on the bus at the time.

After taking the 15-year-old into custody, the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office conducted an intensive investigation for Thibeaux over the weekend. At about 9 p.m. on Sunday, detectives located and arrested the 19-year-old.

According to the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office, Thibeaux was also wanted for a previous firearm-related incident on Aug. 18. Thibeaux was charged with two counts of attempted second-degree murder for that incident.