Crime & Public Safety
Driver Allegedly Fled Deputies, Struck School Bus on Hillsborough Avenue; Arrest Made
Hillsborough County deputies say a 54-year-old woman was arrested after she fled a traffic stop and struck a school bus on Hillsborough Avenue West just west of Dale Mabry Highway. The incident occurred on September 23, 2026, during a traffic stop of a silver Kia Forte, and involved a deputy who was partially inside the vehicle when it fled.
According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, deputies developed probable cause to search the vehicle and attempted to remove the driver, identified as Tonnetta Evans, who was uncooperative. Deputies allege Evans put the vehicle in drive and fled eastbound on Hillsborough Avenue West; immediately after fleeing and before a pursuit could be initiated, the vehicle struck a school bus carrying 41 middle school students, a bus driver, and a bus aide. No students were injured and the bus sustained minor damage; students were transferred to another bus and taken home.
Deputies located and took Evans into custody at the Howard Avenue and Armenia Avenue ramp to southbound I‑275. A vehicle search allegedly yielded a pipe b0mb/explosive device, brass knuckles, a TASER, a bandolier of shotgun shells, multiple ID and credit cards belonging to other people, counterfeit $100 bills, coins, Methamp, Canna, and prescription pills. Deputies also learned the vehicle had been reported stolen out of Kentucky in 2022.
Evans faces more than a dozen charges documented by the agency, including aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer with a deadly weapon, aggravated fleeing to elude, felon in possession of ammunition, possession of contr substance, unlawful possession of others’ identification, tampering with evidence, and leaving the scene of a crash involving a school bus. The Sheriff’s Office says the investigation is active and will provide further updates.
All individuals accused of a crime are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
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All individuals mentioned in criminal allegations are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.