16 Students Hurt as Stolen Pickup Hits School Bus
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A man driving a stolen pickup smashed into the rear of a school bus carrying high school students in Mead Valley on Thursday morning, leaving 16 students hospitalized with minor to moderate injuries.
The driver of the 1999 Ford pickup ran from the scene and was not apprehended, said California Highway Patrol spokesman Jim Whitney.
Officers found at least five rifles inside the truck, which had been reported stolen from Orange County this week, Whitney said.
The injured students were headed to Rancho Verde High School in Moreno Valley. Most complained of minor neck and back pain and were taken to Riverside County hospitals, said Val Verde Unified School District spokesman Mike Bazan.
The bus was stopped at the intersection of Markham and Clark streets at 6:15 a.m. when the truck struck it, authorities said.
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