Wanted man arrested after flight from police in stolen school bus

A man wanted on several outstanding warrants was arrested after allegedly stealing a school bus, prompting a large police response on Peacekeepers Way Monday afternoon.

Drivers on the highway between St. John's and Conception Bay South said the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary officers who stopped the bus had their weapons drawn, and the tires of the school bus were flattened.

Eastbound traffic was halted near Weir's Construction for a few hours while officers were on scene.

Police were first called about a stolen school bus around 9 a.m., and around 3:30 p.m. it was spotted by someone in C.B.S.

When officers found the bus and tried to stop it, the man behind the wheel — the only person on the bus — fled.

Police were able to stop the bus after a short chase, and the 40-year-old man was eventually arrested.

The man, it turned out, had "several outstanding warrants" for his arrest, the RNC said Tuesday morning.

He's now facing charges of possession of a stolen vehicle, flight from police, and resisting arrest.

The man was held in the St. John's lockup overnight to appear in provincial court Tuesday morning.

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