BALTIMORE (AP) - The Latest on a collision between a school bus and a commuter bus that killed both drivers and four mass transit riders in southwest Baltimore (all times local):
6:30 p.m.
The transportation company that operated the school bus involved in a deadly crash in Baltimore says it’s cooperating with authorities and has provided all requested documents to investigators.
In a statement obtained Thursday by WJZ-TV, AA Affordable Transportation offered condolences to those who lost loves ones or were injured in the crash early Tuesday. The company says it’s grieving the loss of bus driver Glenn Chappell and hoping for a quick recovery for the aide who was with him.
The company says it’s “cooperating fully” with authorities investigating what caused the bus to cross the center line and smash into a commuter bus after hitting a car and a roadside pillar in southwest Baltimore. No children were aboard the school bus. AA Affordable says it cannot make any further comment while the investigation is ongoing.
The owners of the company have not responded to requests for further comment from The Associated Press.
___
5:15 p.m.
The driver of a Baltimore school bus involved in a deadly crash pleaded guilty to assaulting his son several years ago.
A judge ordered Glenn Chappell, who died in the crash Tuesday, to spend six days in jail as a result of the 2011 incident involving his son, Moses.
Court records say police were called during an argument over their home, which was in both of their names. The record say Glenn Chappell told his son to leave, because he was not paying any expenses.
Court records say Glenn Chappell grabbed a knife. The records say he put the knife back, but the records note he yelled he was going to get a gun.
Police arrested Glenn Chappell, and he was charged with second-degree assault and possession of a deadly weapon with intent to injure. The case was closed on the deadly weapon charge.
___
2:30 p.m.
The son of the driver of a Baltimore school bus involved in a deadly crash with a commuter bus says family members are waiting to see what the state medical examiners say about what may have happened to 67-year-old Glenn Chappell before the crash.
Moses Chappell said Thursday that he couldn’t comment about any specific health issue that could have caused his father to lose control of the bus. But he said that on a “day-to-day” basis, he didn’t know of any health issues affecting his father.
Chappell says his father drove taxi cabs, trucks and buses over the years, and that he loved driving.
He says he never saw his father drink alcohol, and maintained a healthy lifestyle.
Chappell says his father’s death has brought on “the toughest 48 hours of my life.”
___
1:45 p.m.
The driver of a Baltimore school bus involved in a deadly crash with a commuter bus was convicted of the kind of criminal offense that can disqualify people from driving school buses in Maryland.
A State Board of Education regulation says a school system may not permit someone convicted of a violent crime to operate a school vehicle.
Court records show that the driver involved in Tuesday’s crash, Glenn Chappell, pleaded guilty to second-degree assault in Baltimore in 2012.
Department of Education spokesman Bill Reinhard said Thursday that the local school district would have been responsible for making sure Chappell met the requirements, even though he worked for a contractor, AA Affordable Transportation.
Neither AA Affordable nor Baltimore City Public Schools immediately responded to questions about the rule.
___
12 p.m.
The Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration says the driver of a Baltimore school bus involved in a deadly crash with a commuter bus wasn’t authorized to drive a commercial vehicle.
Spokesman Chuck Brown says in a statement that 67-year-old Glenn Chappell’s medical certification expired Aug. 31. Brown says the agency did not receive an updated one, as required by federal law.
Brown says the agency sent Chappell two letters, most recently on Sept. 8, saying he was no longer authorized to operate a commercial motor vehicle.
Chappell died Tuesday, along with the Maryland Transit Administration bus driver and four mass transit passengers, when the school bus crossed the center line and smashed into the commuter bus after hitting a car and a roadside pillar.
___
Investigators in Baltimore are focusing on speed as they delve into the collision between a school bus and a commuter bus that killed both drivers and four mass-transit riders.
City police spokesman T.J. Smith said Wednesday that both vehicles were moving “at a pretty good rate of speed” when the school bus crossed the center line and smashed into the Maryland Transit Administration bus early Tuesday morning. But he says investigators haven’t determined how fast they were going.
The National Transportation Safety Board tweeted a photo of its investigators doing a three-dimensional scan of the wrecked school bus.
One thing that won’t come quickly is an autopsy report on 67-year-old school bus driver Glenn Chappell. Smith says it could be weeks before investigators know if he suffered a medical emergency.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.