Deputies shoot tires of stolen school bus, arrest suspect

BONIFAY, Fla. (AP) Deputies say they had to shoot the tires out of a stolen school bus to catch a violent robbery suspect.

The Panama City News Herald reports that James Irvin Bourgeois was arrested Friday on multiple felony charges.

The Holmes County Sheriff’s Office says Bourgeois attacked a Bethlehem resident with a hammer after the person refused to give him a ride. Deputies say he then used the hammer to break into a nearby home but fled after being confronted by the homeowner.

An off-duty high patrol trooper and an armed civilian both tried to stop Bourgeois, but authorities say he jumped in a bus at Bethlehem School and took off. Several patrol vehicles pursued the bus. Deputies shot at the tires, eventually causing the bus to lose control and crash into some woods.