BEREA, Ohio (WJW) — A bus shuttling the Baldwin Wallace University swim teams was hit by a stolen vehicle Saturday morning, Fairview Park police confirmed.
The incident began when a 2021 Gray Kia Forte, reportedly stolen in Cleveland, was spotted in Olmsted Township that morning. A Fairview Park police officer then saw the Kia speeding eastbound on I-480. Following the vehicle, the officer called for backup and attempted a traffic stop near the I-480 /I-71 split, but the driver of the vehicle did not stop.
Around the State Route 176 exit, reportedly more than three minutes later, the driver lost control around a corner, slid across traffic, hitting the back of the bus and crashing the Kia into a retaining wall.
A teenage driver and passenger fled the scene, exiting the highway, but were later apprehended. None of the occupants in the bus were injured in the incident, police said.
After an investigation, police learned the 15-year-old female passenger had called the 16-year-old driver to pick her up in Olmsted Township after she had just cut off her court-mandated ankle monitor.
The teen boy was taken to Cuyahoga County Juvenile Detention Center and the girl released to a guardian following their arrest, police said. Charges are pending.