ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- An angry, naked man commandeered a school bus full of teenage students Thursday in Atlanta, police said.

The man drove the bus for less than a mile before a student confronted him and the bus crashed into a wall off the road, according to police.

The incident started Thursday afternoon when the bus stopped to let students out, said Atlanta police officer James Polite.

Arris Pitmon, 23, darted toward the bus and hoisted himself in through an open window, Polite said.

Pitmon took control of the bus as the frightened driver ran to the back of it, the officer said. While the bus was moving, the man abandoned the steering wheel and walked toward the back of the bus, Polite added.

A student then ran toward the steering wheel, prompting the man to fight the student. The unmanned bus continued until it left the roadway and crashed.

Students fled the bus, many using the back door emergency exit, and onlookers subdued the man until police arrived.

Some students were taken to area hospitals. Their conditions weren't available Thursday night.

Chiquita Rogers told CNN affiliate WXIA that the man had tried to hit some of the students, including her 16-year-old, Donte.

"He pushed my son, and that's when my son hit him. I guess everybody started swinging, and everybody just started out the back door, jumping. I'm just grateful that my son is still alive, because it could have been worse."

Onlooker Corey Turner told WXIA, "Children were jumping out the emergency door ... jumping off the bus. ... They were saying, 'Help, help, help! ... Somebody hijacked the bus.'"