Mesa school bus driver fired, arrested after child injured during ride
Oct 9, 2019, 3:00 PM | Updated: Oct 10, 2019, 9:11 am
Jamie Tellez (Mesa Police Photo)
(Mesa Police Photo)
PHOENIX — Mesa police arrested a former bus driver this week after an 11-year-old student was injured when the driver allegedly slammed on the brake out of anger.
Police said Jamie Tellez, 50, was driving students home Friday around 1:45 p.m. when a student threw a piece of paper and missed the trash can.
Video (WARNING: Explicit language) of the incident shows Tellez yelling obscenities and slamming on the brake, sending another student who was partially standing in the aisle into the windshield.
The windshield cracked and the student hurt his head and hip, police said.
According to court documents, Tellez continued to yell obscenities at the kids and threatened to assault the student who threw the paper.
She also allegedly dropped the injured student off at home and did not notify anyone of the incident until she returned to the bus yard.
Mesa Public Schools fired Tellez and reportedly contacted police once they learned of the incident.
Tellez allegedly told police she stopped the bus out of anger.
She was arrested at home in Mesa on Tuesday and booked for one count each of child abuse, threatening, endangerment and reckless driving.
