Parents say a homeless man with a knife terrified students at a Corpus Christi bus stop Monday, prompting Texas State Roofing Company to take action

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Two and a half years ago, Texas State Roofing Company asked Corpus Christi ISD to move a Driscoll Middle School bus stop away from the corner of Staples Street and Coleman Avenue, hoping to create distance between students and the large homeless population that gathers near The Station Church. Employees say that decision may have prevented a tragedy on Monday morning.

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Parents and workers say a homeless man experiencing a mental health crisis — and carrying a knife — approached the bus stop as students waited for their ride to school. Nicole Soliz, an office administrator at Texas State Roofing Company, said one mother ran into the business terrified after witnessing the man pacing and behaving erratically just feet from the children.

“She saw a gentleman with a knife, he was mumbling. He was very angry. He was talking to himself, and immediately we called the police,” Soliz said.

Soliz said she routinely checks the sidewalk and bench area for weapons or drug paraphernalia and occasionally finds both. On Monday, she displayed what she described as a knife “well above a legal pocket knife.”

“Obviously, well above a legal pocket knife, which is very scary,” she said while holding her hand up to the knife. “I’m sure there’s a lot of other weapons, but I’m hoping that we don’t come into contact with them.”

Some parents say they were upset to learn about the situation from other parents rather than the district. Betty Roberts, whose son walks several blocks to the stop each morning, said she never received a notice.

“I think the school would’ve notified us or told us something about it,” Roberts said. “If I would’ve knew something like that happened I probably wouldn’t let him walk to the school bus stop.”

Texas State Roofing Company owner Chuck Giffin said the concentration of homeless individuals in the area has made safety a growing concern.

“You can’t have people sleeping on the street,” Giffin said. “You can’t have people laying on the sidewalks wrapped up in blankets in the cold of the night! You can’t have 20 to 30 people laying there! On Wednesday and Sunday nights you can’t have 50 or 100 people standing out on the sidewalks waiting to get fed.”

CCISD told 3NEWS it could not confirm that any report about the knife incident was made to the district or to Driscoll Middle School.

“Safety is a priority in CCISD,” the district said in a statement. “Unfortunately, we are unable to confirm that a report of this nature was made at the school or district level, and thus we did not have information to investigate or to share with families.”

“We encourage anyone with a safety concern to immediately alert police or a school administrator. Safety concerns may also be reported to our Speak Up safety tipline at 361-631-1011 and speakup@ccisd.us.”

“We are always glad to collaborate with the community to find solutions, and we appreciated the request for the bus stop to be moved. The relocation was completed in 2022, within one to two weeks of the request.”

Police were called Monday, but the man left the scene before officers arrived.

Assistant Police Chief David Blackmon told 3NEWS that early morning patrols in the area will increase and suggested The Station Church may have to “tighten their belts” when it comes to the services it provides for the homeless. He also said the department will work with CCISD on potentially moving the bus stop again.

No arrests have been made at this time.