An armed trainee who escaped Fort Jackson this morning and hijacked a school bus has been arrested without incident.
Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott reports it began around 7 a.m. when the trainee, armed with a rifle and dressed in PT clothes, ran off post at Fort Jackson.
The initial call to authorities reported someone on I-77 trying to flag down cars. Shortly after, a deputy was stopped on Percival Road by a parent of a child on the bus who said there was a man with a gun on their bus.
After the trainee left Fort Jackson, he tried to flag down a ride on I-77 to no avail. He then saw kids getting on a bus to go to Forest Lake Elementary. When all the children were on the bus, he boarded the bus, told the driver he didn't want to hurt anyone, and instructed the driver to take him to the next town.
As the bus driver began driving, the trainee brought all of the 18 students to the front of the bus. He became frustrated when the children started asking if he was going to hurt them or the bus driver. He then made the bus driver and the children get off the bus.
He drove off but struggled to drive the bus and abandoned it just a few miles away. He left the rifle in the abandoned bus.
He then went through a nearby neighborhood trying to get clothes and a ride; he was quickly spotted by civilians and authorities. He was arrested without incident.
Sheriff Lott said he will be charged with multiple counts of kidnapping and more.
Richland School District 2 Superintendent Dr. Baron Davis said staff was immediately deployed to Forest Lake Elementary to provide counseling services. Those services will continue to be provided for students, employees, and parents.