A 24-year-old Luzerne man hijacked a BATA bus Tuesday Kingsley and immediately caused a traffic accident, totaling the bus that was otherwise empty of passengers at the time.

According to information from the Michigan State Police and BATA, a BATA driver was waiting at Northland Foods grocery store at approximately 7:40am for a scheduled pick-up when a man approached the bus and made "transportation demands" of the driver, BATA said. The man became agitated and attempted to take a fire extinguisher out of its holder. The driver, fearing the man would hit or spray him with the fire extinguisher, radioed for help and exited the bus.

The man then reportedly hijacked the bus and started driving out into traffic on M-113, where he was hit by a westbound vehicle driven by a 29-year-old Manton woman. The woman suffered minor injuries and told authorities she would seek her own medical care. The suspect was uninjured and was taken to Grand Traverse County Jail. The driver of the bus was also uninjured in the incident, and no passengers were on the bus at the time of the accident.

The BATA bus was totaled in the crash. "The BATA Team handled the situation appropriately and professionally, and BATA appreciates the outstanding support from local authorities, emergency professionals, and members of the community," BATA said in a statement.