School bus driver charged in fatal Brooklyn Park hit-and-run
Jason Rynders[Hennepin County Sheriff's Office]
A school bus driver accused of hitting a woman in Brooklyn Park, killing her, was formally charged Wednesday.
Jason Randolph Rynders, 33, of Maple Grove, is charged with criminal vehicular homicide. He was arrested Tuesday.
Brooklyn Park police said officers were called to a spot near the intersection of Humboldt Avenue and Meadowwood Drive at about 6:49 a.m. Monday after a body was found on a street. After responding, police found a woman who appeared to have been struck by a vehicle. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
School bus driver arrested in fatal Brooklyn Park hit-and-run
According to a criminal complaint, a man was driving to work on Humboldt Avenue Monday morning when he saw a school bus stopped on the side of the road and then felt his car hit something. The man got out of his vehicle and realized he'd hit a person, and, seeing the bus driver standing outside, yelled at the bus driver to call 911. Instead, the bus driver, later identified as Rynders, got back in the bus and drove off, so the other man called 911.
The complaint states preliminary examination of the scene indicated the woman was hit by the front of the school bus and then again by the front axle, rear tires or both.
One homeowner in the area had surveillance video that captured the collision, and shows the bus turning west before the collision with the victim occurred. The video also confirmed what the man who called 911 reported regarding Rynders getting out of the bus before getting back in and driving away. The complaint also notes the bus appeared to be occupied by four or five children.
Officers later tracked down Rynders, a driver and trainer for NorthStar bus company. The complaint states he told police he heard a noise and got out of the bus but didn't think he hit anyone.
Cameras on the bus later showed Rynders examining the bus after dropping the children off at school.
A medical examiner is expected to identify the victim at a later time.