Man Arrested for Forcibly Boarding School Bus

BILLINGS, Mont. — A man was arrested for forcing his way onto a school bus here on Tuesday, and a bus driver was credited with keeping students safe during the incident.

Billings School District 2 Superintendent Terry Bouck told Billings Gazette that at the last stop on the morning route a man forcibly boarded the bus and said that “someone was trying to shoot him." Following protocol, the bus driver called dispatch, and the dispatcher called the police.

Bouck told KULR that the bus driver then drove several blocks, asked the man to get off the bus, and the man did. The bus driver then waited for police to arrive. Bouck added that all other buses were asked to stay out of the area until further notice. Sgt. Nate West told Billings Gazette that police officers arrested the man, whom they did not identify, where the bus dropped him off. West added that police believe drugs were involved, and there was no threat of a shooting. No one was hurt in the incident.

Protocol calls for the bus to stop until the police arrive in such an incident, but the driver left the scene out of concern for the students’ safety, Bouck told Billings Gazette. He added that he was “pleased that the driver acted in a manner that put student safety first.”