The driver of a vehicle who crashed into a DeKalb County charter school Monday morning, injuring three students, now faces criminal charges, according to police.
Obinna Aguocha, 39, crashed into a classroom at Ivy Preparatory Academy, an all-girls school located at 1807 Memorial Drive, authorities said. Twenty-two fifth grade students were in the middle of a lesson at the time, school officials confirmed.
Aguocha and the three students were taken to a hospital. None of their injuries were considered life-threatening, police said, and all of the children were released from the hospital later the same day.
Aguocha was booked into the DeKalb jail on three charges of aggravated assault, county police announced Wednesday.
According to warrants for Aguocha’s arrest, investigators said he pointed his car at the school and began honking his horn repeatedly in an attempt to get the attention of the students inside. He then “purposefully” accelerated the vehicle’s engine and drove it into the building, the warrant states.
Investigators did not explain why Aguocha was honking or why he accelerated the vehicle.
Channel 2 Action News footage showed a silver Toyota Yaris crashed into a window next to the academy’s front door.
The school, which has an enrollment of more than 500 students, will operate virtually until Nov. 14 while repairs are made, officials said. Crisis counselors have been made available to students and a hotline has been set up for families with questions.
The academy, established in 2008, teaches kindergarten through eighth grade.
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