Louisiana Man Who Stopped HS Basketball Players' Bus, Yelled Threats, Arrested

A man in Louisiana who stopped a school bus of basketball players and yelled threats is now facing multiple charges in connection with the incident.

Authorities said 64-year-old Kenneth Navarre of Acadia Parish was driving behind a school bus full of Rayne High School basketball players on June 6 when he passed the bus while gesturing at the occupants, the Acadiana Advocate reported. 

Some of the players told their coach they saw Navarre wave what appeared to be a handgun. 

Once in front of the bus, Navarre brought his blue Ford F-250 to a stop, forcing the eastbound bus to stop in the 9200 block of Cameron Street.

The coach, who was driving the bus, told Duson police investigators he did not see Navarre armed but did notice a handgun was stored in the truck’s inside door panel when the Navarre approached the bus.

Navarre reportedly "yelled threats at the coach and after about a minute of the coach refusing to open the side window," then returned to his truck and drove away, the Advocate reported.

The 19 players aboard the bus reported told officers they were afraid of being battered and felt Navarre was “deranged” while approaching the bus, Duson police said.  

Navarre was identified as the suspect and interviewed Wednesday.

Navarre told investigators that he saw the bus driving "in what he perceived as a reckless and careless manner on Quarter Pole Road" and stopped the bus to get the driver’s name to submit to school officials, the police department said.

Investigators recovered videos from local businesses and crime cameras that showed Navarre forcing the bus to stop.

Navarre was not seen with a gun on video, Duson police said.  

Navarre was arrested Monday evening and booked into the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center on counts of reckless operation of a vehicle, aggravated obstruction of a highway, 19 counts of simple assault and one count of simple assault on an educator by a non-student.  

Duson police chief Kip Judice cautioned motorists to call 911 to report aggressive or reckless drivers and to avoid stopping other vehicles because of the danger posed to all parties.