Current:Home > FinanceOklahoma school bus driver faces kidnapping charges after refusing to let students leave -FinanceMind
Oklahoma school bus driver faces kidnapping charges after refusing to let students leave
Chainkeen Exchange View
Date:2025-04-07 09:54:02
An Oklahoma bus driver is facing kidnapping charges after allegedly refusing to release students from his vehicle until they were quiet.
Surveillance video from inside the bus shows the driver, 68-year-old Thomas Young, refusing to allow anyone to exit and after a tense dispute with a few middle school students Friday afternoon in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, a suburb east of Tulsa.
"Everybody be quiet I'm not moving until I don't hear any speaking," Young can be heard yelling in the video. "You think you can get away with stuff. I run my bus a certain way I don't care what the other bus drivers do. You obey me."
One student told the driver that they needed to be home in 10 minutes to which he replied "I don't care be quiet."
Fast food stabbing:Jack in the Box employee stabbed outside of restaurant in California
Bus driver charged with kidnapping, child abuse
The Broken Arrow Police Department charged Young with kidnapping and child abuse for the incident, according to FOX 23.
Young had been a driver for the school for slightly over a year and received no complaints or similar incidents prior to Friday, according to the districts Chief Communications Officer Tara Thompson. Friday was his second day taking that specific bus route and he was running 30 to 45 minutes late.
Thompson said that while bus drivers do have the authority to enforce school rules, Young did not follow the training protocols while attempting to quiet the students.
The driver eventually stopped his vehicle on the side of a main road where students then tried to exit the bus, Thompson said. Video shows banging sounds which Thompson identified as parents trying to get their kids off the vehicle.
"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 said. "There were lots of things that went wrong in the scenario. The students didn't respond well, the driver didn't respond well."
'They could be anywhere':4 men, including murder suspect, escape central Georgia jail
'A sad situation'
Police Capt. Josh McCoy told FOX23 that Young endangered the children by driving at low speed while some students were moving.
"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 speeds, endangered them and put them in a dangerous situation," McCoy said, according to FOX23.
Officers then arrived at the scene and immediately arrested Young, Thompson said. He was terminated from his job by the school due to his charges.
The school has received complaints from parents since the incident, Thompson said. The school also provided counselors to students upset by the events, she added. School officials are working to identify which students were inciting some of the issues that were against district policies, such as the movement around the bus and profanity.
"I don't think anyone woke up that day thinking that was how the day was going to end. It's just, it's sad. It's just a sad situation," Thompson said.
veryGood! (857)
Related
- 2 killed, 3 injured in shooting at makeshift club in Houston
- Israeli strikes in Rafah kill 18, mostly children, Palestinian officials say
- Taylor Swift’s Friend Keleigh Teller Shares Which TTPD Song “Hurts So Much” for Her
- When red-hot isn’t enough: New government heat risk tool sets magenta as most dangerous level
- Stamford Road collision sends motorcyclist flying; driver arrested
- California legislators prepare to vote on a crackdown on utility spending
- A retirement expense of $413,000 you'll need to be prepared for
- Florida State vs. ACC: Takeaways from court hearing as FSU's lawsuit hits a snag
- Israel lets Palestinians go back to northern Gaza for first time in over a year as cease
- Larry Demeritte will be first Black trainer in Kentucky Derby since 1989. How he beat the odds
Ranking
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- What happened to Kid Cudi? Coachella set ends abruptly after broken foot
- More pandas are coming to the US. This time to San Francisco, the first time since 1985
- MLB power rankings: The futile Chicago White Sox are the worst team in baseball ... by far
- Trump invites nearly all federal workers to quit now, get paid through September
- Key takeaways from the opening statements in Donald Trump’s hush money trial
- What are compensatory picks in the NFL draft? Explaining bonus selections.
- Olivia Munn Shares How Son Malcolm Helped Lift Her Up During Rough Cancer Recovery
Recommendation
Charges tied to China weigh on GM in Q4, but profit and revenue top expectations
MLB power rankings: The futile Chicago White Sox are the worst team in baseball ... by far
Insider Q&A: Trust and safety exec talks about AI and content moderation
California announces first new state park in a decade and sets climate goals for natural lands
Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
Jets trade Zach Wilson to Broncos, officially cutting bait on former starting QB
What is the best milk alternative? Here's how to pick the healthiest non-dairy option
Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis' 10-Year-Old Son Otis Is All Grown Up in Rare Photo