A 23-year-old man was arrested today for stealing a yellow school bus, driving it erratically and crashing into seven parked vehicles, a median fence, signal light pole and PG&E transformer, police said.
Police responded to the area of Woodside Road and Middlefield Road about 9:43 a.m. after receiving numerous 911 calls about the large recklessly-driven school bus crashing into cars. Two minutes later, additional callers reported to police the bus had crashed into more vehicles and had come to a rest on top of an above-ground PG&E transformer in the Woodside Plaza shopping center parking lot.
While the suspect attempted to flee the bus, an off-duty San Mateo County Sheriff’s deputy quickly took him into custody, police said. The Redwood City Fire Department and PG&E responded to the scene to cut off power to the damaged transformer.
The investigation revealed that the suspect, identified as Redwood City resident Santos Miguel Murillocuellas, had broken into a locked and enclosed school bus storage yard at 1090 Mills Way, where he stole the bus. Police began receiving 911 calls shortly thereafter, police said.
“These vehicles and fixed objects sustained significant damage as a result of the incident,” police said, adding the collisions occurred on Woodside Road between Spring Street and Massachusetts. No one was injured in those collisions.
The suspect was booked into the San Mateo County Jail for vehicle theft, burglary, reckless driving, hit and run, and vandalism. Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact Traffic Sgt. Steve Fine at 650-780-7187.
Photo Credit: Redwood City Police Department
