OXON HILL, Md. — Police are still searching for three teenage boys who pushed their way onto a Prince George's County school bus and tried to shoot middle school student in the chest.
According to Prince George's County Police Department officers, the incident happened Monday afternoon just before 5 p.m. near the intersection of Iverson Street and Sutler Drive in Oxon Hill.
Martin Diggs, president of the Educational Support Personnel union in Prince George's County, gave WUSA9 more details about the terrifying incident that happened as students were heading home from Prince George's County Alternative Middle School in Suitland.
According to Diggs, who spoke to both the driver and the aide who were on the bus at the time of the incident, the driver was dropping off a female student at Iverson Street and Sutler Drive near Iverson Mall when the three suspects forced their way onto the bus. The female student made it off the bus OK, leaving one student alone on the bus.
The three intruders pushed the driver and aide aside and approached the student on the bus, Diggs said. One of the three intruders pulled out a handgun and held it to the chest of the student on the bus. The suspect pulled the trigger three times, but the gun misfired. When the gun failed to fire, two of the suspects ran off the bus and the third pistol whipped the student. After beating the boy up, he also ran off the bus, Diggs said.
The driver and the aide told Diggs that all three suspects were wearing dark hoods and had masks on their faces, but had no other description of the intruders. All three suspects are still on the loose, according to Diggs.
Prince George's County Police Department investigators released still images of the suspects, thought to be juveniles on Thursday.
Police are still searching for the suspects. Anyone who has information should contact police at 301-749-5064 or Prince George's County Police Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS.
A spokesperson for Prince George's County Public Schools issued the following statement about the incident:
We are horrified by this incident and grateful that no lives were lost. Our highest priority is keeping students, staff and families safe inside Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) classrooms, on school grounds and school buses. We will continue working with our law enforcement partners during this investigation to ensure safety for all members of the PGCPS community.
Additional details were not immediately available.