Police: South Carolina woman uses son as shield after school bus chase
A South Carolina woman who led authorities on a chase in a school bus is accused of using her young son as a shield when she eventually stopped for authorities.
The North Charleston Police Department said on Thursday, officials received an alert that a school bus was traveling along Palmetto Commerce Parkway in an erratic manner. The incident was reported around 3:30 p.m.
The bus reportedly almost crashed into another vehicle, with the driver believed to be impaired.
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Officials identified the driver as Shakira Jones.
Authorities were able to locate the bus, which was traveling 65 miles per hour in a posted 45 miles per hour zone. Jones was also said to be making erratic lane changes.
Jones failed to stop when police made an attempt to pull her over.
She was said to have accelerated into a parking lot where school staff had to take cover and run from the bus, police stated.
Bus eventually stops
After the bus came to a final stop, officers continued issuing commands, but Jones refused to exit, according to police.
Police said Jones placed a child in front of her in an apparent attempt to shield herself from officers. Officers safely removed the child and tried to take Jones into custody. After a brief struggle, she was arrested, authorities said.
Investigators later determined that the child aboard the bus was Jones’ son. He was eventually turned over to a relative.
During the investigation, officers also reportedly found a bottle of prescribed amphetamines among Jones’ personal belongings within arm’s reach of the driver’s seat.
Police said Jones consented to standardized field sobriety tests, and the officer who administered them concluded that there was probable cause that she had been driving while impaired.
Jones was taken to the Al Cannon Detention Center and charged with failure to stop for emergency responders, driving under the influence, and child endangerment.
