At least 6 dead in Tennessee school bus crash, driver arrested

Woodmore Elementary School bus driver Johnthony Walker has been arrested and charged with multiple counts of vehicular homicide, reckless endangerment and reckless driving, according to Chattanooga Police Chief Fred Fletcher. A school bus slammed into a tree and split apart Monday, killing at least six children in Chattanooga, Tennessee, officials said.
Frantic parents arrived at the scene, screaming and crying. A spokeswoman for the Hamilton County District Attorney's Office confirmed the death toll. But Chattanooga Police Chief Fred Fletcher would only say "multiple children" were killed, declining to specify how many died because the scene was still active.

Fletcher said the bus, which was carrying 35 students in kindergarten through fifth-grade from Woodmore Elementary School, turned over on its side and struck the tree. Authorities received a call about the crash just before 3:30 p.m., and emergency officials worked for "many hours" to remove all the children from the bus, he said. Fletcher said 23 victims were transported to Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga.
"Certainly, speed is being investigated very, very strongly as a factor in this crash," Fletcher said, adding that the investigation was still at an early stage.
He added that driving conditions were clear and dry.
Fletcher said "a warrant has been issued to remove the informational box on the school bus and review the video."
Police said the bus driver is cooperative and talking to investigators.