Stolen Vehicle Slams Into School Bus In West Hartford: Police

WEST HARTFORD/HARTFORD, CT — An incident in Hartford that began with a stolen vehicle and gunshots ended in neighboring West Hartford after a police chase and crash into a school bus.

Luckily, no children were on board the school bus, the West Hartford Police Department wrote.

The bus driver — the lone occupant — and two occupants in the suspect vehicle suffered non-life-threatening injuries, wrote the WHPD.

Following the pursuit and crash, the intersection of Farmington Avenue and Trout Brook Drive was closed to motor vehicle and pedestrian traffic after 5 p.m. The WHPD said at 6:51 p.m. that it had reopened.

Meanwhile, the suspect vehicle's occupants were turned over to the Hartford Police Department for processing and charges, the WHPD said.

According to West Hartford police, the WHPD was notified that a stolen motor vehicle was involved in a shots-fired incident in nearby Hartford.

Eventually, the WHPD located the vehicle — a Kia Sportage — and tried to conduct a motor vehicle stop, police said.

According to West Hartford police, the operator of the vehicle failed to stop and attempted to flee officers.

The WHPD, however, successfully deployed a tire-deflation device and the fleeing Kia became disabled near the intersection of Farmington Avenue and Trout Brook Drive after slamming into the school bus.

Both the driver and an occupant were apprehended by the WHPD at the scene.

West Hartford police said they're investigating the collision regarding the incident, while Hartford police are probing the shooting/vehicle theft component.

The WHPD said there is no ongoing threat to the public.

"The WHPD is committed to apprehending individuals posing an immediate danger to our community as safely as possible," wrote the WHPD. "It's incidents such as these that remind us how valuable partnerships between the WHPD and HPD members can be."

West Hartford police said the incident is still under investigation.

No further information was available Tuesday morning regarding the suspects' status, including charges, regarding the Hartford incident.

Anyone with information is asked to callthe West Hartford Police Department at 860-523-5203 or use the anonymous WHPD Tip Line/email at (860) 570-8969 / whpdtips@westhartfordct.gov.