MPD: Stolen car hits school bus with child on board; 1 teen arrested, police looking for another

Rose Schmidt by Rose Schmidt

One teenager has been arrested after officers said he hit a school bus in a stolen vehicle Monday. Police are still looking for another teen.

A school bus was in front of Mendota Elementary School around 4:30 p.m. Monday when the bus was hit from behind by a stolen SUV, according to an incident report from spokesperson Joel Despain from the Madison Police Department.

A spokesperson from the Madison Metropolitan School District said one child was on board at the time of the crash. The student was going to be dropped off at Mendota Elementary School from another summer school site and was on the bus waiting for parent pick up.

The school bus driver saw the SUV drive away. She was not injured and no children were hurt, according to Despain.

A witness told police the SUV and a Chevy Impala were traveling together as both sped through the neighborhood, heading south on School Road. Police said the Impala hit another car at the intersection of Northport Driver and Northridge Terrace but did not stop, causing a second hit-and-run in the course of several minutes.

Officers said the car the Impala hit was pushed into a median and had to be towed. A 50-year-old Madison woman was driving but was not injured.

Officers from the North District said they found the stolen SUV and the Impala parked at a Northport Drive gas station.

Police said 17-year-old Demontae Tillman, who was driving the SUV, was nearby and arrested for operating a motor vehicle without owner’s consent, felony bail jumping, possession of stolen property, possession of marijuana, reckless driving and hit-and-run.

In Tillman’s pockets, officers said they found a number of items that belonged to the owner of the stolen SUV he had been driving. The items included a driver’s license and credit card.

Police said the 30-year-old victim was washing her clothes at the Northport Laundry earlier in the afternoon on Monday when the SUV was stolen. She said she believed she accidentally dropped her keys in the parking lot.

The department identified a 16-year-old boy from Madison as the driver of the Impala, and officers are stilling looking for him.

Get your weather forecast from people who actually live in your community. We update with short, easy-to-use video forecasts you can watch on your phone every day. Download the iOS or Android app here.

COPYRIGHT 2020 BY CHANNEL 3000. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.