Driver charged in crash that snarled downtown Raleigh traffic for hours

The bus swerved into a utility power pole and came to rest on the grounds of Edenton United Methodist church. It did not appear that the bus did any damage to the church building.

About 14 people were on the bus at the time, and ambulances took several, including the bus driver, from the scene, police said.

No one inside the church was hurt.

The driver of the Taurus, Joseph Mederious Craveiro, 63, was charged with felony hit-and-run, misdemeanor hit-and-run, driving while impaired, driving with license revoked and failing to stop at a red light. He was listed in fair condition at WakeMed.

Craveiro, whose address is listed as a homeless shelter on Wilmington Street, has been arrested 11 times in Wake County since 2013 on charges ranging from theft to drugs to assault.

The assault charges stem from a Jan. 24 incident in which Craveiro is accused of dragging two Raleigh police officers across a convenience store parking lot when they tried to get him out of a car that had no license plate but had drug paraphernalia inside.

Police said Craveiro was involved in a hit-and-run at the intersection of McDowell and Morgan streets, colliding with another car and driving, shortly before hitting the bus Monday.

Power crews worked through the morning to fix downed lines and a traffic light and to restore power to a few businesses in the area that lost it.

Traffic remained backed up in the area of Edenton, Hillsborough and McDowell streets until mid-afternoon, when the intersection reopened.