2 teens charged in bus shooting

Two teenagers were arrested and charged with attempted murder yesterday in Wednesday’s school bus shooting in Temple Hills, Prince George’s County police said.

Phillip Daniel Swann, 19, and Lawrence Herbert, 17, both of Camp Springs, face five counts of attempted first-degree murder and reckless endangerment, Maj. Lee James said. They also face multiple handgun charges.

The suspects were being held without bond.

“At this point the investigation is continuing,” Maj. James said. “We’re still continuing to interview a number of witnesses.”

No students were hurt when shots were fired at the bus after it dropped off some passengers after a fight, police said. The bus was traveling from Crossland High School. The incident occurred near the intersection of Allentown and Auth roads, close to Andrews Air Force Base and the Capital Beltway.

“There was pushing and shoving on the bus, which led to these men jumping off the bus — and at that point the gun was passed between hands,” Maj. James said.

Witnesses said one of the men is a Crossland student, but investigators have not confirmed the statements.

Bullets pierced a side panel of the bus and a window.

School officials said yesterday that no major security changes were planned in response to the shooting.

“This was a scary and rare occurrence, not a pattern,” said John White, a Prince George’s County schools spokesman.

There has been at least one other violent incident on a county school bus this year. Police in November used pepper spray and a stun gun to stop a fight involving students traveling to DuVal High School in Lanham.

Mr. White said the bus driver did the right thing Wednesday by driving several blocks farther and calling police when he heard gun shots.

“He did a great job,” Mr. White said the day of the incident.

Another bus was brought to the scene to take students home.

ICounty school buses are equipped with Global Positioning System tracking devices that tell authorities where the bus is located, Mr. White said. Buses also are equipped with a button that calls 911.

He said cooperation from parents — rather than more security — was important to resolving problems that stem from students’ misbehavior.

“Many of these kinds of problems come with kids to schools in the morning and go home with them in the evening,” Mr. White said.

Parents need to make sure their children know what’s expected of them, said Yvette Willis, president of the Parent Student Teacher Association at Crossland.

“The students need to be held accountable and show a level of responsibility, if they’re going to ride the bus,” she said.