NOT THE SHARPEST KNIFE IN THE DRAWER: Life Imitates “Bustin’ Loose,” Only The Kid Was Dumb, Not Blind
William Jackson, 19, was behind the wheel of a Metro bus working the B2 route in the District – but he was no bus driver, reports The Washington Post:
Authorities said he wore a standard-issue Metro bus driver's uniform, made his way into the Bladensburg bus garage in Northeast and drove off, pretending to be a driver assigned to the B2 route, which goes from Bladensburg Road to Anacostia. …
Metro protocol requires that employees entering the bus facility show a form of identification to a security guard before they can proceed, Pavlik said. However, investigators believe that the impostor must have been "waved through" by the guard on duty when he arrived at the facility Friday afternoon, he said.
After passing security, the impostor boarded a bus, which didn't require a key to start, and left the station to drive the B2 route.
He had driven about four miles when he struck a tree. …
Jackson was intercepted by the police who had been alerted to the accident by a witness who called 9-1-1. Then he tried to hot-foot a getaway, but was caught a couple of blocks away and charged with unauthorized use of a vehicle and fleeing an accident.
For its part, the transit authority is conducting a "top-down review" of its procedures. Though he was a lousy driver, Jackson was harmless enough - he allegedly told the authorities that he was fascinated by buses – but imagine if he had been a terrorist wanting to take hostages or detonate the bus at a busy intersection.
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