Paulding County school bus driver charged in viral confrontation with parents

PAULDING COUNTY, Ga. - A Paulding County school bus driver is facing a criminal charge for a confrontation with parents that was caught on camera.  

Authorities say 43-year-old Chrystal Dawn Johnson was driving the bus earlier this month at the time of the confrontation at a bus stop near Old Harris Road and Jimmy Lee Parkway. .

According to Paulding County schools, Johnson was filling in for the regular driver, who had called out sick. The district said the typical release of some students "broke down" at a bus stop. 

The district said in a statement that the substitute bus driver was "trying to manage the release of younger students." A "backup" escalated to parents of several students waiting at the stop outside the bus. School district employees called the Dallas Police Department. 

At some point, cell phone footage shows a parent using their SUV to block the bus at an intersection. That's when witnesses say things became physical.

Crystal Dawn Johnson (Paulding County Sheriff's Office)

Dallas police helped dismiss the students from the bus while a supervisor helped transport the remaining students on the bus, the school district said. Ultimately, the district said all the students arrived home safely.

Johnson turned herself in to authorities Monday afternoon and was released on bond.

She's now facing a battery charge. Authorities have not said what led up to their decision to charge her.

Johnson had already been suspended from her bus route by the district.