Myrtle Beach area man in wheelchair blocks school bus, refuses to let it pass, police say
A Conway man has been arrested after using his wheelchair to block two school buses attempting to travel through a neighborhood after school.
The man is accused of riding in front of a school bus throughout the neighborhood, preventing the bus from getting around him by moving in its path and slowing the bus down to 5 mph, according to an arrest warrant.
Douglas John Champa, 58, was charged Nov. 21, 2024, by Horry County Police with interfering with the operation of a school bus.
An administrator at Carolina Forest High School alerting an officer about the incident that happened on Nov. 20 in the Castlewood subdivision on Crusade Circle.
Video footage from the bus showed Champa coming onto the street in a wheelchair about 4:18 p.m. and began harassing a school bus and its driver, a police report said. Champa speaks with the driver and then gets in front of the school bus, restricting the bus’ movements.
When the bus tried go around Champa, he would move in front of the bus, the report said. When the bus got to an intersection where another bus was stopped, Champa went up to the other bus and pulled back the crossing gate attached to the bus and slung it back on the bus, the report said.
Champa also blocked the path of the second bus as well, the report said.
It is unclear from the report what was said to the driver or why Champa blocked the path of the bus.
This story was originally published November 25, 2024 at 9:54 AM.
