Geelong school bus rammed in dramatic police pursuit
Students returning to school encountered a dramatic police chase and shots fired at the school bus, but a principal said it was excitement rather than fear that sparked the pre-class chatter Friday.
Students at Sacred Heart College in Geelong were left cowering on a bus on Thursday afternoon as they headed home from their first day at school for the new year when police opened fire on a vehicle driving erratically in Newtown.
A police helicopter located the stolen Kia at the intersection of the Princes Highway and Roebuck Street around 3.40pm before the car reversed towards the bus.
Footage taken by a student in the vehicle shows the moment the Kia collided with the bus before police began shooting at the vehicle. In the video, someone can be heard shouting “everyone down, everybody down” as other students wail.
But speaking to ABC Radio Melbourne on Friday morning, Mercy Education CEO Andy Kuppe said children returning to school were very talkative about what happened yesterday afternoon.
“The kids are great,” he said. “I was just talking to Anna Negro, principal of Sacred Heart Geelong, one of the schools involved.
“He’s been greeting the girls at the door this morning to make sure the community is okay. As you’d expect, there’s a certain level of excitement and chatter about what’s going on on their first day back at school after the holidays.”
Kuppe said it’s normal for girls to be excited or want to talk about the incident, but for some it can be traumatic.
“Hopefully for very few people, or no people at all, this may have triggered the memory of another type of trauma in their life,” he said.
“[The school will be] I watch the girls to see if there are any changes in their behavior or mood and respond accordingly.”
Kuppe also praised the bus driver for his quick actions, saying: “The bus driver was amazing, he calmed the girls down.”
McHarry’s, the charter bus company, declined to comment when asked about the driver’s heroic efforts.
Police said a 37-year-old man of no fixed address and a 43-year-old NSW woman in the Kia were arrested and taken to hospital under police guard. The woman has since been charged with handling stolen property and has been released on bail to appear in court in March. The man remained in the hospital with a bullet in his arm.
Sherryn Groch is a journalist covering crime for The Age. Email her at s.groch@nine.com.au or contact her securely on Signal @SherrynG.70.Connect with: X or email.
