MILWAUKEE — TMJ4 News confirms a 14-year-old male was criminally charged after allegedly driving a stolen Kia into a school bus outside a Milwaukee school on Monday, May 1, 2023.
According to a criminal complaint obtained by TMJ4 News on Tuesday, the 14-year-old male was charged with the following:
- first-degree reckless injury
- hit and run - great bodily harm
- first degree recklessly endangering safety
- 2nd degree recklessly endangering safety
- drive or operate a vehicle without owner's consent
TMJ4 News has decided to not name the suspect because of his age. The teen is an eighth grader.
The crash happened outside Morse Middle School for the Gifted and Talented near 80th and Mill a little before 9 a.m. last week Monday. An 11-year-old who was on the bus was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. A 15-year-old who was in the vehicle that struck the bus was taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Video of the crash outside Morse Middle School shows a white Kia swerving down the street while people hang out the driver and passenger side windows. Once the Kia crashes into the bus, the passenger falls out and is dragged on the ground. The driver then tried to run away, video a witness shared with TMJ4 News shows.
The complaint says after the crash, a witness says the teen tried to drag his friend away from the scene. That woman also told police she yelled at the teen saying, "What are doing? Don't do that. We don't know how bad he's hurt... we can't move him."
The teen then began yelling, "Ay, my boy! Ay, my boy!" He then ran away.
The complaint says the friend "remains in a medically induced coma" and "sustained a crushed skull, fractured arm, and a brain bleed." Last week, his mother told investigators "he is still on a breathing tube."
Police searched the teen's home and in his closet, they found four handgun magazines and ammo. In the basement, the complaint says police found the clothes the teen was seen wearing in the video of the crash.
The teen allegedly told police, "he was not in the car when it crashed" because he was home asleep.
The teen is being tried in juvenile court and authorities did not release max sentences for charges in this case.
Prior to the arrest of the teen driver, Milwaukee police arrested four other teens connected to the incident.
Previous reporting below:
Four arrested in bus crash outside Morse Middle School
By Julia Marshall, Mariam Makar, May 04, 2023
Before the 14-year-old, police arrested four people in connection to a reckless driving incident when a driver crashed into a school bus outside of a Milwaukee middle school.
The Milwaukee Police Department said May 4 a 15-year-old girl and a 14-year-old girl were arrested in connection to the incident, but MPD is still seeking other suspects including the driver.
Then on Monday, May 8, police told TMJ4 News they arrested a 14-year-old Milwaukee male and a 14-year-old female. MPD said they are still searching for another suspect, presumably still the driver.
The crash happened outside Morse Middle School for the Gifted and Talented, near 80th and Mill, a little before 9 a.m. Monday.
Police previously said in a news release that an 11-year-old who was on the bus was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. A 15-year-old who was in the vehicle that struck the bus was taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Video of the crash outside Morse Middle school shows a white Kia swerving down the street while people hang out the driver and passenger side windows. Once the Kia crashes into the bus, the passenger falls out and is dragged on the ground. The driver tried to run away, video a witness shared with TMJ4 News shows.
Sean Kane, with Milwaukee Public Schools, says the crash happened the day protective concrete bollards were set to be installed outside Morse Middle School.
"Actually, the first concrete bollard was being placed at the time of the incident," shared Kane. He says they installed these barriers outside a number of MPS schools to protect students from reckless driving.
"We had to find some protective measures to prevent, not only the vehicles coming onto the sidewalks, but also the lawn area."
The district says it put these in place in schools that have seen high rates of dangerous driving. Kane says as far as stopping reckless driving, they only have control over the school grounds — not drivers on the road.
"This is a citywide issue with reckless driving. All we can do is look out for the best interest of our students and staff and general public, and we can only look out and do what's on our school site. Because again, a lot of this stuff occurs in the street."
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