A Florida woman fleeing a traffic stop with a deputy partly inside her car struck a school bus carrying 41 middle school students, authorities said. None of the children was injured.
The collision happened shortly after 4:36 p.m. Wednesday, September 23, on West Hillsborough Avenue in Tampa. According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, deputies had stopped a silver Kia Forte just west of North Dale Mabry Highway and developed probable cause to search it. The agency did not specify in its release what led to that search. (HCSO, Tampa, FL)
As deputies tried to remove the driver, identified as 54-year-old Tonnetta Evans, she allegedly put the Kia in drive and sped east with an officer still partially inside. The sheriff’s office said she hit the school bus almost immediately, before deputies could begin a pursuit. (HCSO, Tampa, FL)
The bus was carrying students from Pierce Middle School, along with a driver and an aide. It sustained minor damage, and officials reported no injuries among the students. Another bus took the children home. Authorities later took Evans into custody near a ramp leading to southbound Interstate 275. (HCSO, Tampa, FL)
What deputies say they found in the Kia made the close call more alarming. Their inventory included an item they described as a pipe bomb or explosive device, brass knuckles, a Taser and shotgun shells. They also reported finding suspected methamphetamine and marijuana, prescription pills, identification and credit cards belonging to other people, and $1,100 in counterfeit $100 bills. The sheriff’s release did not say whether the alleged device was functional or describe how it was made safe. (HCSO, Tampa, FL)
Investigators said the car had been reported stolen in Kentucky in 2022. The sheriff’s office also described Evans as having nine prior felony convictions in Indiana and two in Kentucky. Those reported convictions are separate from the new allegations, which have not been proven in court. (HCSO, Tampa, FL)
Evans faces charges including aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer with a deadly weapon, aggravated fleeing, drug and weapons offenses, and leaving the scene of a crash involving a school bus. She was also arrested on a Kentucky warrant, according to the sheriff’s office. Authorities said the investigation remains active. (HCSO, Tampa, FL)
Sheriff Chad Chronister said the driver showed disregard for the safety of the deputy, motorists and children. The crucial outcome for the 41 families waiting for that bus was that officials reported every student unharmed. (HCSO, Tampa, FL)
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