Police stop Sacramento area school bus after hijacking reported; call was ‘unfounded’
Police on Monday responded to a report of a hijacked Sacramento area school bus with students onboard, which led officers to pull over the bus and question the driver before determining the report was false.
About 4:50 p.m., Twin Rivers Unified School District police officers responded to the call reporting one of the district’s school buses may have been hijacked with students on board. Sacramento Police Department officers also responded to the reported bus hijacking.
The school bus was found near El Camino Avenue and the Capital City Freeway in Sacramento, according to a written statement from the school district.
Photos of the incident shared on social media showed the school bus stopped in the middle of a residential street with a trail of parked police patrol vehicles and officers behind the bus.
Officers questioned the driver, verified his identity and determined the information they received about an alleged school bus hijacking was “unfounded,” school district officials said.
“The bus was not hijacked; it was transporting students from an after school program,” according to the district’s statement. “The driver was a Twin Rivers bus driver and no one was arrested.”
Officials said the school district has a comprehensive plan and procedures in place to protect students and staff in case of an emergency, and its police officers work with school staff, local law enforcement agencies and other public health and safety leaders.
“We are thankful for the collaboration and the quick response to this unfounded incident,” district officials said in the statement.
It was unclear whether police investigators know who reported the hijacking or why that call was made.
This story was originally published March 22, 2022 at 4:54 PM.
