CUSTER COUNTY, OKLA. – An 18-year-old from Sentinel, Oklahoma, is facing felony charges after allegedly flashing a firearm near a school bus carrying students.

Peyton Taylor Scott was charged in Custer County District Court with possession of a firearm after delinquent adjudication and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, both felonies.

The incident occurred on February 24, 2025, when authorities say Scott was seen waving a black Smith & Wesson 9mm pistol while riding as a passenger in a white van. The vehicle reportedly drove alongside a Merritt Public Schools bus near Interstate 40. According to the bus driver, the suspect, who was wearing a black ski mask and sunglasses, waved the pistol menacingly while making direct eye contact with those on the bus.

"I feared for my life and the lives of my students," the bus driver stated in a police report, adding that the students were visibly shaken and began calling their parents after the incident.

Authorities later located the suspect’s vehicle, a 2012 Chevrolet Express, in Weatherford, Oklahoma, where a felony stop was conducted. The driver was detained along with Scott. Police found the unloaded firearm in the center console, along with the ski mask described by witnesses.

During questioning, Scott admitted to having the gun but claimed he was "just being dumb" and "playing around with it," stating that he had borrowed it from a friend. He also mentioned remembering driving past the school bus earlier in the day.

Scott, who has a prior juvenile record for burglary, was taken into custody and later released from Custer County Jail. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison for each felony charge.

Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.