A man was arrested Thursday morning after he boarded a Kennewick School District bus and briefly sat in the driver’s seat before following a parent, student and the driver down the street, according to the Kennewick Police Department.
Officers responded around 8:08 a.m. to the 400 block of North Volland Street after reports of a man attempting to get on a school bus as it stopped to pick up its first passenger of the day.
Police said 23-year-old David Cuevas Corona boarded the bus without permission and sat in a seat behind the driver.
Alarmed by his behavior, the driver quickly exited the bus.
Cuevas Corona then moved into the driver’s seat of the running vehicle and began manipulating the steering wheel, motioning for the driver, parent, and student to get on the bus.
The three ignored him and walked away, according to police.
Cuevas Corona got off the bus and followed them.
The parent flagged down a nearby driver and asked them to call 911, later telling police they were frightened and didn’t know if the man planned to hurt them.
The group continued walking as Cuevas Corona followed for several minutes before he eventually turned and walked in another direction.
Police arrived shortly after and found him in the area. He was taken into custody without further incident.
Cuevas Corona was booked into the Benton County Jail for attempted vehicle theft.
Police said the motive is unclear, but added there may be a mental health component involved.
No additional students were on board at the time, and no one was injured.
The bus was running when it was entered, raising concerns about what could have happened if the suspect had put the vehicle into gear.
In a statement, police commended the bus driver, parent and student for their calm response and said the district maintains a zero-tolerance policy for any actions that put students, families or school staff at risk.
“We are grateful there were no other students on the bus at the time,” the statement read. “If Cuevas Corona had escalated further and put the bus into drive or made other decisions as he followed the group, the safety of many others could have been in great jeopardy.”
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