Four People Arrested, Accused Of Shooting Paintball Guns At School Bus
FOREST HILLS (KDKA) -- Four people are facing charges of criminal conspiracy for paintball attacks. Police believe they are responsible for hitting a school bus, while students were on board.
The four of them were questioned at the Forest Hills Police Department before they were taken to the Allegheny County Jail for processing.
Jawaun Betton, a 10th grader at Woodland Hills, told KDKA he and other students were on the school bus, heading home Wednesday afternoon, when it was hit by fire from a paintball gun and a BB gun.
Betton recorded video of the bus on his cell phone.
"I heard some girl say, 'Oh, they got a gun, they got a gun,' thinking it's a real gun," said Betton. "So, me being prepared, I ducked down in my seat and stuff hoping that noting really happened, and then next thing you know, you hear a couple of loud shots."
When it was over, a window near the back of the bus was shattered and the bus had been hit by paintballs.
Forest Hills Police took four young people into custody who they believe are responsible for hitting the school bus on Greensburg Pike just before 3 p.m.
Maya Jones, 18, Isis Sanders, 18, Shawn Cook, 21, and Tucker Strothers, 19, are charged with criminal conspiracy.
Strothers and Cook also face charges of propulsion of missiles, recklessly endangering another person and vandalism.
Cook was also charged with simple assault.
One of the suspects says they had targets.
"We don't shoot at anybody innocent," the suspect said as he was led out of the Forest Hills Police Department. "We had targets. It's all on Facebook. With all that's going on nowadays, all the shootings, we're trying to take that off."
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Forest Hills Police showed KDKA the BB gun and the paintball gun they believe the group used. They say one of them had a small amount of marijuana when he was arrested too.
"This is a serious matter," said Betton. "It shouldn't be happening. It's a school bus, you should feel safe going to school, being in school, and then coming back from school."
A mother of one of the students on the bus says her son's arm was bruised when the bus was hit.
Also, police say the four individuals may also be responsible for paintball attacks in Forest Hills, Braddock Hills, Wilkinsburg and Turtle Creek.