SPARTA, Ga. – Authorities say a 63-year-old retiree is accused of lighting a bus driver’s hair on fire, taking control of the bus and leading police on a chase through two Georgia counties that reached speeds of 95 mph.
Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills said Michael Douglas Freeman was told not to smoke on the bus. Enraged, he snatched the keys from the ignition, pulled out his lighter and briefly ignited the driver’s hair.
The sheriff said the driver and a passenger hopped off, and Freeman sped away and wasn’t stopped until a deputy rammed into the bus near the courthouse square in Sparta.
Freeman was jailed on charges including battery, aggravated assault, eluding police and drunken driving. It wasn’t known Sunday whether he has an attorney.