Startling new footage captures the tense moment when police opened fire on a vehicle believed to be stolen, just after it reversed into a bus filled with alarmed students in Geelong.
The dramatic incident unfolded when a Kia Optima, reportedly stolen, collided with the school bus on LaTrobe Terrace in Newtown around 3:45 PM. The clash occurred as officers attempted to intercept the vehicle.
Inside the bus, students’ screams pierced the air as the sound of gunshots erupted nearby, transforming what should have been an ordinary day into a scene of chaos and fear.
Amidst the commotion, one young girl’s voice captured the surreal nature of the moment: “This is my first time on a bus, my first day here,” she exclaimed, reflecting the shock of her initial experience as a seventh-grader.
In the video, the bus driver can be seen maintaining composure, instructing the students to stay seated. He promptly used his radio to inform colleagues about the alarming situation unfolding just outside their vehicle.
Vision showed the bus driver asking the students to remain seated before using his radio to alert his colleagues to the unfolding incident.
“We’ve just had a shootout,” he said.
The terrifying incident unfolded in front of Matthew Flinders Girls Secondary College.
“There were other parents running as well, there were people in suits and dads just trying to get down to their kids,” parent Mylea Adams said.
Police allege that after reversing into the bus, the stolen car drove at officers, triggering one to draw their gun and fire a shot.
The Kia then T-boned another car before the two occupants fled on foot, police allege.
Police gave chase and arrested them both near the scene.
The chase was sparked after the Police Airwing spotted the Kia, allegedly stolen from NSW, near the intersection of Princes Highway and Roebuck Street about 3.40pm.
A 43-year-old woman from NSW was taken to hospital under police guard with minor injuries.
She was interviewed by detectives and has been charged with handling stolen goods.
The woman was bailed to appear before Geelong Magistrates Court on March 31.
A 37-year-old man of no fixed address was taken to hospital with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to the arm.
He remains in hospital under police guard.
The occupants of the school bus were not injured, while the driver of car that was t-boned was taken to hospital with minor injuries.
The investigation remains ongoing with Professional Standards Command oversight, as is standard practice when a police firearm is discharged.
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