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Chelsea man faces charges after allegedly stealing school bus

E-mail|Link|Comments () May 7, 2009 05:18 PM

(Yoon S. Byun/Globe Staff)

The scene of the shooting last night.

By Globe Staff

A 23-year-old Chelsea man was arraigned today in Chelsea District Court after he allegedly stole a school bus Wednesday night and took it on a wild ride through Everett before being shot by a police officer.

Rene Lopez

Rene Lopez was released from an area hospital after being treated for the gunshot wound, the Suffolk district attorney's office said.

Police said Lopez stole the bus in Chelsea and hit a sport utility vehicle and police cruiser as he drove through Everett. A Chelsea police sergeant shot him in the shoulder after the bus pinned his cruiser against the median on Route 16 in Everett, near the Gateway Plaza.

Lopez faces charges of larceny of a motor vehicle, operating under the influence of alcohol, failure to stop for police, malicious destruction of property, and other offenses, the district attorney's office said.

Judge James Lamothe ordered Lopez held without bail while he undergoes an evaluation at the Massachusetts Alcohol and Substance Abuse Center. But the center notified the court that the center would not admit Lopez because of his gunshot wound. Lamothe then ordered Lopez to return to court Friday to discuss his bail and custody status.

Lopez's attorney, Joanna Sandman, had no comment.