WASHINGTON HEIGHTS — A gunman was arrested after firing twice into a school bus on Amsterdam Avenue Monday morning, police said.
The man, whose identity was not released, opened fire near Amsterdam and West 164th Street about 6:30 a.m. and two bullets hit the bus, which was carrying the driver and a matron en route to their first pick up of the morning, according to police and witnesses.
It wasn't immediately clear why the gunman opened fire, police said. Witnesses said they believed the shots came from a second floor window inside 2089 Amsterdam Ave., but a police spokeswoman couldn't confirm that account.
"I heard one shot, then two more shots. A window broke," said the driver, Irvin Mendez, 48.
"I stopped the bus and said to my matron, 'Are you OK?' The bullets were just behind me, a couple feet."
Neither the driver nor matron were injured, officials said.
"It was scary, but I'm OK," said Mendez, who's been driving buses for 11 years.
Heavily-armed police cornered the shooter in 2089 Amsterdam Ave., witnesses said.
"It looked like they were out of 'Call of Duty.' They were yelling, 'Freeze! Freeze!' They chased him and caught him right in the back yard," said Elisa Diaz, 23, who lives on the second floor of the apartment building.
"I saw someone run through the backyard," said Jonathan Rojas, 27, who also lives on the second floor.
"They caught up to him pretty quick. He was on the floor in cuffs. A few minutes later, they yelled, 'We got the piece!'" Rojas said.
"They took him out and put him in a car," Rojas said.
Charges are pending against the suspect, an NYPD spokesman said.
