A School Bus Driver Allegedly Didn't Let Kids Off Until They Quieted Down. Now He's Charged with Kidnapping

Thomas Young.Photo:Broken Arrow Police Department

Broken Arrow Police Department

A school bus driver in Oklahoma is facing kidnapping and child abuse charges after he allegedly refused to let children get off a bus until they quieted down, according to multiple news reports citing police.

He then allegedly stops the bus for around nine minutes, and during that time kids can be heard screaming and crying for help. At one point, Young can reportedly be seen putting his arm out to stop a student from exiting the bus. Banging sounds can also be heard in the footage.

“You think you can get away with stuff,” Young said, perUSA Today.“I run my bus a certain way. I don’t care what the other bus drivers do. You obey me.”

Broken Arrow Public Schools spokesperson Tara Thompson told Fox 23 it was Young’s second day taking that bus route and he had arrived 30 minutes late to pick up the students. Thompson said the alleged incident was unexpected.

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“There are students who open the back of the bus and jump out while the bus is moving which is a huge safety issue,” Thompson told USA Today. “There were lots of things that went wrong in the scenario. The students didn’t respond well, the driver didn’t respond well.”

“Holding the kids against their will, and the fact that those children were jumping from the school bus while he continued to drive eastbound, even at a slow speed, endangered them and put them in a dangerous situation,” McCoy said, per Fox 23.

Thompson has since confirmed to all three news outlets that Young, who held his position for about a year, has been fired from the district.

Police told KJRH that the charges against Young will be forwarded to the Tulsa County District Attorney’s Office.

It’s unclear if Young has entered a plea or retained an attorney to speak on his behalf.

source: people.com