A Calumet City teen was charged with allegedly helping others steal eight Chicago school buses that later were found cut apart for scrap on the city's South Side.
Angel Bivanco, 19, of Calumet City was charged with aggravated possession of a stolen motor vehicle, possession of a stolen vehicle and drug possession, police said. Bivanco is believed to have provided a car to help with the theft of the buses and was ordered held on $150,000 bond.
Police said the buses were stolen April 5 from the Sunrise Bus company yard on the 10000 block of South Torrence Avenue and taken to Gonzalez Auto, at 3405 S. Lawndale Ave.
Helicopter video from Sky 5 showed a large pile of scrap against the side of a building at the yard. Portions of the obliterated yellow buses were seen strewn among seats and other parts.
Officers said the buses were tracked to the yard via GPS devices on board the vehicles.
Hazmat teams were called to scene to evaluate any fuel spillage from the scrapped gas tanks.
The price of scrap metal has been on the rise. One company said they pay roughly $250 per ton. The school buses weighed up to 10 tons each.
