LAFAYETTE, La. — A 26-year-old man from Opelousas has been booked into the Lafayette Parish Correction Center in connection with a crash involving a stolen school bus. According to the Lafayette Police Department, the man was in the process of being transported to a mental health facility when he stole a privately-owned school bus. A spokesperson for the school system confirmed that the bus was not currently in use by the Lafayette Parish School System.
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After crashing into multiple cars at the intersection of Pinhook and Kaliste Saloom and causing several injuries, the man stole a truck and drove it to a gas station on Johnston Street, according to police.
Lana Hebert, who has worked at the gas station for 14 years, tells KATC how the man ran into the store while she was the only one working.
"As I hear the door ding, I come out of my office and I see this guy," Hebert said. "He doesn't have a shirt on and is wearing blue plastic hospital pants and a hospital bracelet, and he's right behind the counter, face to face with me."
Hebert also witnessed the man taking items right off the shelf, including cigarettes, liquor and chips.
"But all I could think of was my kids at home," she recalled. "'Lord, please don't let him hurt me or anything', because I didn't even know at that point what he was thinking."
After the man left, Hebert alerted authorities and locked the door to the gas station, keeping her kids and safety in mind.
"The first thing I did after I called 911 and the cops came, I locked the door, and I called them and said 'Let me tell you what happened to Momma', and they said, 'Momma, I'm glad you're okay'," she said.
After leaving the gas station, the suspect made his way to Rayne, where he was located on Bella Avenue and taken into custody.
The man could be facing multiple charges related to the incident.
We will update this story with more details as they emerge.
