CHESTER COUNTY, S.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — A 19-year-old out of Chester faces multiple charges including child endangerment after allegedly driving into a school bus with a child on board, officials say.
According to arrest warrants, on Dec. 13, 2024, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division initiated a traffic stop on a silver Nissan Altima on Pine Street in Chester due to a weapon violation. The attempted traffic stop turned into a chase involving Chester County deputies.
SLED officials say Matthew Cunningham drove into a school bus near the intersection of Saluda Street and JA Cochran Bypass with one child and two adults on board. The child was taken to the hospital as a precaution and has since been released.
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Cunningham and a 16-year-old passenger in the vehicle were taken to the hospital for injuries sustained during the crash. South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice also filed petitions against a 16-year-old passenger for unlawful possession of a machine gun and unlawful possession of a handgun by a person under 18.
Cunningham was charged with failure to stop for blue lights, child endangerment and simple possession of marijuana.
No law enforcement officials were involved in the crash nor were they injured.
Cunningham was placed in the Chester County Detention Center. The 16-year-old boy was released to his parents upon the advice of the solicitor’s office, pending a hearing in family court.
