A suspect fleeing a felony traffic stop slammed into another vehicle and a Jefferson County Public Schools bus Monday evening at South 18th Street and West Broadway, sending seven people to the hospital and leaving overturned cars scattered across the intersection in Louisville's California neighborhood.
Louisville Metro Police Maj. Russell Miller said officers were attempting a felony traffic stop near 20th Street just after 5 p.m. when the driver took off, according to WDRB. Police said the suspect was wanted for a violent offense and fled east on West Broadway before plowing through the intersection, as reported by WHAS11. Witnesses described hearing the impact from blocks away, and WHAS11 reported that the crash ultimately sent seven people to area hospitals.
Suspect's Car Flipped, Two Critically Injured
The suspect hit another vehicle and the JCPS bus as he drove through the intersection of Broadway and 18th Street, per the station's report. His vehicle overturned in the collision, and both the suspect and a female passenger suffered critical injuries; the pair were taken to UofL Hospital, the same account notes. Two people inside the vehicle the suspect struck were also taken to the hospital to be evaluated.
Three children aboard the bus, out of roughly 10 people who were on board at the time, were hospitalized for evaluation but did not sustain major injuries, the station reported. LMPD's Traffic Unit and its Public Integrity Unit are handling the investigation, the outlet added.
'Kids Screaming' as Chaos Unfolded
Nearby resident Tysheana Rose told WDRB she rushed outside after hearing the crash. “I seen cars flying down and I heard a big boom and when I came out police everywhere and cars flipped over and kids screaming,” Rose said. Another witness, Joseph Oplinger, described the scene once the bus came to a stop, saying “the children were all lined up outside the bus.”
Second JCPS Bus Crash in Weeks
Monday's wreck marks the second crash involving a JCPS bus in west Louisville in recent weeks. A Sept. 18 collision between a school bus and a passenger vehicle reportedly left three people injured, including two students, according to a report from the Courier Journal. No further details on the suspect's identity, the exact charges he may face, or the specific violent offense police were investigating have been released.
