Troopers arrest motorcyclist after a boy was nearly hit at a stopped NC school bus

Joe Marusak
·2 min read
6

Troopers on Saturday arrested a teen motorcyclist accused of nearly hitting a boy after zooming past a stopped school bus near Lake Norman.

Ishmael Partida Gonzalez, an 18-year-old Davidson resident, was charged with passing a stopped school bus, careless and reckless driving, no motorcycle endorsement, and a registration violation, Master Trooper Christopher Casey said in a news release just after 5:30 p.m.

Gonzalez was arrested after turning himself in at the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office, Casey said. He received a $2,500 bond, the trooper said.

A motorcyclist passed the bus and came within a foot of hitting the boy on Carlyle Road at Farmdale Drive at 2:37 p.m. Thursday, video released by the North Carolina Highway Patrol shows.

That’s near the lake in the Mooresville-Troutman area.

The bus had its warning lights activated and stop arm extended as the child crossed the road, Casey said on Friday.

“He did see me, but he just didn’t even care,” Maverick Richards told Charlotte Observer news partner WSOC.

Maverick’s mom, Carrie Richards, told the station she first learned about the near-miss as Maverick headed to bed Thursday night.

“I didn’t know what to think, because he told me that a motorcycle almost hit him in the face,” she said.

The motorcyclist never stopped after the near-miss, according to the video that Casey sent to The Charlotte Observer and other news outlets.

School bus video shows this motorcyclist nearly hitting a boy while the bus was stopped on Carlyle Road in Iredell County and had its red flashing lights on Thursday afternoon, Jan. 4, 2003.
School bus video shows this motorcyclist nearly hitting a boy while the bus was stopped on Carlyle Road in Iredell County and had its red flashing lights on Thursday afternoon, Jan. 4, 2003.

The rider, who continued north, appeared to be on a Kawasaki Ninja 400, Casey said.

He wore a black and red helmet, a black Alpine Stars jacket with red and white on the right arm, and a red Adidas backpack, the trooper said.

The motorcyclist also was near U.S. 21 at Julian Place at 2:40 p.m. and northbound on N.C. 115 at Pine Lake Preparatory School in Mooresville at 4:20 p.m., Casey said.

School bus video shows this motorcyclist nearly hitting a boy while the bus was stopped on Carlyle Road in Iredell County and had its red flashing lights on Thursday afternoon, Jan. 4, 2003.
School bus video shows this motorcyclist nearly hitting a boy while the bus was stopped on Carlyle Road in Iredell County and had its red flashing lights on Thursday afternoon, Jan. 4, 2003.

A person of interest had been identified, the trooper said Friday.

The Highway Patrol had urged anyone who recognized the person of interest to call the Highway Patrol at 828-466-5500 or *47.

Saturday, Casey said the Highway Patrol “wishes to express its appreciation to the local media outlets for their assistance.”