Glenwood Springs Police are looking into an incident Wednesday morning in which they believe a ball bearing may have been fired from a slingshot or thrown at a bus that was loading passengers at the 27th Street station.

Roaring Fork Transportation Authority Director of Operations Ian Adams said a passenger called police after boarding an Aspen-bound BRT bus a little before 7 a.m. and reported that a bullet had hit one of the driver’s-side bus windows.

“It wasn’t loud enough for the driver to hear, but officers arrived to look for clues as to what would have happened,” Adams said.

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He said a search of the area turned up a ball bearing between the size of a dime or penny lying in the grass about 15 feet away from the bus on the Colorado Highway 82/Glen Avenue side, which matched the size of the impact on the window.

The outside pane of the double-paneled side window was broken, but the projectile did not penetrate the inside pane, Adams said.

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Glenwood Springs Police Lt. John Hassell said police are reviewing Colorado Department of Transportation video camera footage from the 27th Street intersection for additional clues.

He said it’s not likely the bearing accidentally came loose and launched from a passing vehicle, because of the angle it hit the window.

“It was a very circular hole, which indicates it came from a direct perpendicular angle,” Hassell said.

He said it’s possible the bearing may have been thrown by hand, but it more likely was fired at a higher velocity, such as from a slingshot. 

“If anyone did see anything or has any information, we would appreciate their help,” Hassell said. The police department can be reached at 970-384-6500.

Adams said the bus was pulled from the route for the ongoing investigation and that the window will need to be repaired before it can be put back into service.

Senior Reporter/Managing Editor John Stroud can be reached at 970-384-9160 or jstroud@postindependent.com.