Sixty school buses go flat overnight in Los Fresnos

LOS FRESNOS - As soon as Juan Ramirez arrived at the bus barn on Tuesday morning, he could tell it was going to be a long day.

Sixty school district buses were vandalized overnight.

Ramirez, the district's transportation director, noticed that air had been let out of the buses' front tires, an act that resulted in a two-hour delay in transporting students to campuses.

Employees from Brownsville and San Benito school districts assisted LFCISD, providing the tools and manpower to get the bus tires inflated and the buses rolling.

The LFCISD Police Department is now investigating the incident. Chief Joel Sanchez took statements from individuals Tuesday.

Birdie Rodriguez, executive director for support services at LFCISD, said the department is "close to identifying a suspect."

The perpetrators "did not leave much evidence," Rodriguez said. The gates to the bus barn remained locked after the incident occurred.

Not a single vehicle was damaged permanently. Air was released through open valves rather than through punctures in the tires.

To the surprise of LFCISD officials, the tires on buses outfitted for the special needs students were not deflated.

"The most important thing is the education of our kids, so we tried to get the buses running as soon as possible," Rodriguez said.

Thursday is the last day of school for district students.