An 11-year-old Louisiana boy has been arrested after he allegedly made off with a school bus and led police on a 45-minute chase before crashing into a tree.
As the Advocate reports, the child stole the bus from the Progress Head Start Center parking garage on Sunday. During his joyride, he hit three cars and was reportedly laughing throughout. The incident came to an end after he plowed into a tree while police cars followed him and set up blockades.
"As he got closer and closer and closer, I saw it’s a little boy in there and he was laughing," witness Joy Gradney said of the chase in an interview with WAFB 9. "He was like giggling on the way across Florida as he goes right past me. I’m like, I can’t believe it’s a little boy."
The bus itself belonged to a private owner who subcontracts with the Head Start Center. While the bus was hit with damages from the reckless driving, the 11-year-old was unharmed.
"We got our first call about a juvenile driver at 9:45 a.m., in the area of Airline Highway and Scenic Highway," Baton Rouge Police spokesperson Sgt. L'Jean McKneely Jr. said.
TMZ reports that cops said the boy, who was arrested on charges including theft of a motor vehicle, aggravated flight, three counts of aggravated damage to property, and aggravated assault, gave some of the officers the finger as he was driving.
