LEHIGH ACRES — A 30-year-old man was arrested Thursday after pointing what appeared to be a rifle at a school bus carrying elementary students in Lehigh Acres, according to the Lee County Sheriff's Office.
Jaime Cossio was charged with felony aggravated assault and misdemeanor disruption of a school function after the incident occurred around 9:30 a.m. Thursday near the intersection of Fourth Street West and Bruce Avenue North, according to Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno.
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The school bus driver was transporting students to Sunshine Elementary School when he noticed Cossio pointing what appeared to be a rifle at the bus and directly at him, Marceno said. The driver immediately drove away in fear for his life and called law enforcement.
"When someone points a gun at you, you don't stop to think if it's real or fake. You just want to save yourself and save your life," Marceno said during a press conference Thursday.
Deputies responded immediately and obtained a search warrant for Cossio's residence, where they recovered a BB gun that the bus driver was able to identify as the weapon used in the incident, according to the sheriff.
Marceno praised the bus driver's quick thinking and heroic actions, saying he was able to get the children to safety and provide crucial witness testimony. The sheriff confirmed that none of the children on the bus witnessed the incident, which could have been traumatic.
"The bus driver was incredible. His actions are heroic," Marceno said.
This marks the second time Cossio has allegedly pointed a weapon at a school bus, according to parent Oshin Leon, whose fourth-grade son rides the bus at that intersection.
"This is actually the second time I witnessed him pulling out a gun to a school bus," Leon said. "The first time I was coming back from school with my son on the stop, and I saw a bus from his school dropping off some of his friends, and he did the same thing."
Leon said she saw police respond to the first incident, but nothing happened. After Thursday's arrest, she's considering changing her son's bus stop.
"I don't feel safe with him knowing that there's somebody pointing a gun, even if it's a BB gun," Leon said.
Multiple parents at the intersection reported having interactions with Cossio and suggested he may have mental health issues. Marceno acknowledged that mental illness plays a role in many incidents but emphasized that it doesn't excuse criminal behavior against children.
"Whether he was or is mentally ill or not, it's still not right to commit felony crimes against children," Marceno said.
Cossio has a history of felony convictions and aggressive behavior toward law enforcement, according to Marceno. He was well-known to deputies, which helped them identify him quickly, the sheriff said.
The sheriff's office deployed its school threat enforcement team and second precinct detectives for the investigation, according to Marceno. The sheriff emphasized the department's zero-tolerance policy for violence against children and assured parents that comprehensive measures will be in place to prevent future incidents.
"As sheriff of this county, I want the parents to know almost 120,000 kids go to school, 5,000 to 6,000 bus stops," Marceno said. "When that child leaves their home and walks to one of 4,000 to 5,000 bus stops, gets on that bus, they're our responsibility."
The case has been forwarded to the State Attorney's Office for prosecution, Marceno said.
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