School buses stolen, shredded into scrap within hours

Eight school buses were stolen in Chicago and driven to a salvage yard, and within hours they were cut apart and shredded into a two-story pile of scrap. The Chicago Tribune reports the buses from the Sunrise company were equipped with GPS tracking devices, and police were able to track them to the scrap yard on the city's West Side. When police arrived, they found a pile of shredded school buses about two-stories high. Engines and transmissions from the buses had already been cut in half. The 40-foot-long buses, capable of seating 75 people, were stolen between Thursday night and Friday morning from Sunrise's yard on the South Side. The company provides transportation for some public and private schools in the city. Spare vehicles were used to replace the stolen fleet, and service to students was not affected. Sunrise estimated the value of the buses at $250,000.