SAN ANTONIO – A GPS tracking device played a key role in helping San Antonio police quickly track down a stolen school bus early Thursday morning.
SAPD officers were assisting police with the East Central Independent School District when they located the bus after 5:30 a.m., abandoned in a supermarket parking lot on Ingram Road near Callaghan Road.
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Officers at the scene told KSAT 12 News that school district police used a GPS tracking device to find the vehicle, which had been stolen overnight.
They said they boarded the bus to search for possible weapons or people inside but did not find anything.
In a statement from the school district, a spokesman confirmed the theft occurred at a transportation hub’s parking lot.
He said no one was hurt, and that the crime did not impact morning school bus service.
A source told KSAT 12 News that the theft happened at the transportation center in St. Hedwig, and that the crooks got into the parking lot by cutting the lock on a gate.
A giant bolt cutter could be seen on the floor of the bus after it was recovered.
School police also appeared to be conducting an investigation at that St. Hedwig site later in the morning.
It is unclear if the crime was caught on surveillance cameras.
The statement from the school district said the case is still under investigation.
Read the full statement here:
“East Central Independent School District (ECISD) is saddened to report that one of our buses was stolen from our transportation hub overnight. We can confirm that at no time was anyone harmed during this incident and that it is not affecting any of our bus routes this morning. We are unable to give specific details at this time due to an ongoing investigation, but we can confirm that the suspect’s vehicle was stuck at the transportation hub and that our hub was broken into. As a result, one of our buses was stolen. We are working closely with the San Antonio Police Department, the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, and the East Central Police Department to investigate this matter. We are relieved to report that the stolen bus has been recovered, thanks to the swift and coordinated efforts of the law enforcement agencies involved. We are grateful for their tireless efforts in ensuring that our students’ safety is a top priority. ECISD would like to assure our community that we take this incident very seriously and are taking every step necessary to ensure that our transportation hub is secure. We understand the importance of our buses in transporting our students to and from school safely, and we are committed to doing everything we can to ensure that they remain safe and secure. We will release further updates once the investigation is complete. In the meantime, we ask for the community’s cooperation and support as we work to ensure the safety and security of our students and staff.”