Surveillance video shows Fort Jackson trainee hijacking school bus
A trainee from Fort Jackson in South Carolina has been arrested after he fled from the base and hijacked a school bus while carrying his gun, officials said.
The Army is starting the process to remove Jovan Collazo, the 25-year-old Fort Jackson private accused of taking off in 2021 and hijacking a school bus at gunpoint.
He was found not guilty of kidnapping charges by reason of insanity last week.
"Fort Jackson leaders are aware of Pvt. Collazo's case verdict and that he has been ordered to a mental health facility in South Carolina," Fort Jackson spokeswoman LA Sully said Thursday. "Considering this outcome, the Army is updating his status and will complete all relevant administrative processes including separating him from the Army."
The move had been expected since early in the investigation. In May 2021, Collazo was accused of jumping over a barbed wire fence at Fort Jackson with an unloaded M-4 rifle and brandishing it while hijacking the bus.
FORT JACKSON IDS TRAINEE ACCUSED OF HIJACKING SCHOOL BUS WITH ARMY-ISSUED M-4
Pvt. Jovan Collazo was found not guilty by reason of insanity last week on kidnapping charges after authorities said he went AWOL from Fort Jackson and hijacked a packed school bus while holding an unloaded rifle. (Richland County Sheriff's Office)
Collazo was three weeks into basic combat training at the time.
He snuck away through the woods and found the school bus packed with kids, according to authorities, in an alleged attempt to return home to New Jersey while suffering from "anxiety." The sheriff's office later released surveillance video showing parts of the incident.
WATCH: Surveillance video shows Fort Jackson trainee hijacking school bus
Panicked elementary school students pulled out their cellphones and contacted their parents, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said at the time. Collazo purportedly told the driver he didn't want to hurt anyone, but eventually grew frustrated with the kids' questions and let them off.
Eighteen students and the driver got out of the vehicle. Collazo drove a little longer, ditched the gun, left the bus, and Richland County deputies arrested him.
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This image released by the Richland County, S.C., Sheriff’s Department, shows Jovan Collazo, an Army trainee, who was arrested and charged with dozens of crimes after authorities say he boarded a South Carolina school bus with a gun Thursday, May 6, 2021, and held the driver and elementary students hostage before letting them off the bus. (Richland County Sheriff’s Department via AP)
No one was harmed in the incident. After his arrest, however, Collazo tried to escape jail, broke his ankle and wound up hospitalized.
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The Army said at the time that he never had any access to ammunition, because trainees don’t visit the firing range until their fourth week – and even then, they’re patted down on the way out to ensure they’re not carrying any away from the area.
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