BEAUFORT, S.C. — An alternative school student was arrested for allegedly assaulting a police officer on a school bus on Friday.

The bus was transporting students from Beaufort County School District’s Right Choice School on Friday afternoon. The bus driver reported that several passengers were apparently smoking an illegal drug while the bus was in transit.

The school bus driver alerted authorities and pulled over in the parking lot of an elementary school to wait for police to arrive.

Deputies from the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office arrived at the scene, and the bus driver directed them to the back of the bus and identified several students.

According to the Sheriff's Office, one of the deputies asked one of the students to exit the bus.

“Immediately, the deputy was greeted with profanity by the juvenile, who then struck the deputy in the chin with his elbow,” Sheriff's Office officials said in a news release. “After a brief struggle, the juvenile was removed from the bus and detained by deputies.”

The student was transported to the Department of Juvenile Justice in Columbia. He was charged with assault and battery, third degree, and interfering with the lawful operation of a school bus.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, no illegal drugs were found on the bus or in the possession of the student who was detained.

The deputy sustained a minor injury in the incident. He was examined by medical personnel and returned to duty.