Police fired shots at two carjacking suspects near Route 141 in Newport early Friday, setting off a car chase that ended near I-95 and Route 896 in Newark, police said.
The activity clogged roadways in the area for several hours, including I-95.
The incident began in the 100 block of Ayre St. in Newport around 7:30 a.m., Delaware State Police said at a Friday afternoon press conference. The suspects were confronted by police nearby and shots were exchanged.
During the shootout, a school bus carrying Delcastle Technical High School students was hit, according to New Castle County Vocational Technical School District.
No students or the driver were injured, but the bus was struck by three bullets, including one that entered the vehicle and hit the arm rest next to the driver.
The district said the driver was going the normal route to school through Newport when she encountered “criminal activity.” Video from the area shows police with guns drawn chasing a person next to the bus just after 7:30 a.m. Several gunshots can be heard soon after, and the bus moves slightly.
Neither the students nor bus were targeted, the district said, and the driver pulled over and called her supervisor. Delcastle Technical High School counselors are assisting students who were on the bus. It’s not known whether the bullets that hit the bus came from police or the suspect.
Based on limited information provided by Delaware State Police, after the Newport shooting, the suspect led police on a chase onto I-95 south, toward Route 896. It remains unclear what happened there, but emergency services radio communications indicate paramedics were called to the southbound side of the interstate at South College Avenue (Route 896) near Newark shortly after 8 a.m.
The road closure there appeared to be caused by on-scene police investigators and medical personnel.
Delaware State Police issued a news release a little after 9 a.m. that said both the northbound and southbound lanes around Route 896 would be “shut down for an extended period.”
“The incident is contained at this time, there is no threat to public safety, and police are advising the public to please avoid the area,” the release said.
Around 11:15 a.m., state police tweeted that the incident was “an officer-involved shooting.”
Multiple agencies, including New Castle County Police and Newport Police, gathered at Delaware State Police Troop 2 near Newark for a press conference late Friday morning.
Around 11:30 a.m., a helicopter hovered near Route 896, and the exit there was backed up. Traffic from Route 896 was getting pushed further back onto South College Avenue.
Cars were using the emergency lane to bypass the standstill traffic heading away from the University of Delaware, toward Old Baltimore Pike.
A number of other roads around Newark were shut down as a result of the chase and shooting Friday morning, with traffic backing up to the Maryland state line.
Pleasant Valley Road was completely barricaded, with road signs noting the closure a few meters after Welsh Tract Road. Cars were being turned around or detoured on Welsh Tract Road.
A tractor and several men with highlighter-green vests could be seen about 200 feet behind the barricade.
This is a developing story. Return to delawareonline.com for updates.
Reporters Krys’tal Griffin and Esteban Parra contributed to this report.
Got a story tip or idea? Send to Isabel Hughes at ihughes@delawareonline.com. For all things breaking news, follow her on Twitter at @izzihughes_
