FRESNO (KMJ) — One man has been put behind bars on felony charges, after he allegedly told a bus full of elementary school students he was going to take them.
The incident took place Monday around 6.30pm, close to Jensen Avenue and Highway 99. The bus had stopped at a gas station for a bathroom break and the bus driver remained on board while a teacher disembarked with two of the sixth-grade students.
“A male adult got on the bus and began shouting that he wanted to take the bus to a mission – Gabriel Mission – and that Jesus was coming,” explained Fresno Police Lieutenant Mark Hudson.
Hudson said the driver sounded an on-board alarm by taking the keys out the ignition. A clerk at the nearby gas station then removed the suspect from the bus, shortly before police arrived on scene.
47 year old Christopher Martinez was arrested and booked into Fresno County Jail on charges of attempted kidnapping and attempted carjacking. None of the children on board were harmed.
In a letter to parents, Kingsburg Joint Union School District described the incident as a traumatic experience for students returning from Science Camp.
“We are grateful for the quick response from the school bus driver and teacher, to the selfless help from the store employee, and to the Fresno Police Department,” wrote Superintendent Wesley Sever.
Hear the report from KMJ’s Dominic McAndrew as it aired:
