BANGOR – A Bangor man classified as a habitual offender by the state drove a sport utility vehicle into the side of a parked school bus Monday in front of John Bapst Memorial High School on Broadway about a half-hour before school let out.

If it had been a little later “when kids were getting out he would have killed somebody,” said Pat Horne, 48, of Holden, who was at the school picking up his daughter when he heard the accident.

The only person injured was Iver Cardwell, 26, the driver of the SUV, who was taken to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, where he was treated for minor injuries, namely cuts and scrapes, according to Patrolman Kevin MacLaren, one of the investigating officers.

Two bus monitors on Bus 313 were knocked out of their seats when the bus was hit, but neither they nor the bus driver, who remained seated, were injured, MacLaren said.

Cardwell was arrested on several charges related to the crash, including operating under the influence and driving to endanger. After being treated at the hospital, Cardwell was taken to Penobscot County Jail, where jail officials confirmed late Monday night he was being held without bail.

Bangor police started receiving reports about an erratic vehicle heading toward Broadway about 1:10 p.m., according to Sgt. Larry Weber of the Bangor Police Department.

Other vehicles reportedly were struck before the SUV hit the bus in front of the school.

Students peered from their classroom windows at the smashed front end of the 1995 green Chevy Tahoe as police investigated the scene and a tow truck arrived to take the vehicle away.

“He was out of his mind,” said football and basketball assistant coach Jason Colman, 22, of Bangor, who was crossing the street when he saw the truck coming toward him.

The driver, who Colman estimated was going 40-50 miles an hour, yanked the wheel to avoid hitting him, Colman said.

McLaren said police officers working on the case had not been able to determine the actual speed of the SUV.

After crashing into the bus the man tried to drive away and backed into a Dodge Dakota pickup truck and a Pontiac Grand Am parked in front of the school. He wedged the vehicle between the bus and truck in the process.

“He did like a 17-point turn to try and run,” Colman said.

Bystanders were forced to pull the bleeding man from the driver’s seat as he repeatedly attempted to remove the SUV from its position. The vehicle’s air bag had deployed.

“He was totally incoherent,” said Horne. Horne said he helped the man out of the car and asked him whether he was OK.

The man could barely stand and had no idea where he was, said Horne, the assistant circulation director at the Bangor Daily News.

When the man tried to walk away from the scene, “I kind of grabbed him and brought him back,” said Horne, who then held onto Cardwell until police arrived.

Several angry people, whom the suspect had apparently run off the road, also were at the scene yelling at him, Horne said.

The Chevy Tahoe is registered to Christopher Fox of Orrington, who was in the process of selling it to Cardwell, according to MacLaren. The officer said Fox had not yet received full payment for the sale, but was allowing Cardwell to drive it nonetheless.

Cardwell is expected to make an initial appearance today in Bangor District Court to respond to charges including:

. Operating under the influence. Cardwell’s blood-alcohol level at the time of the crash was not available Monday. McLaren said the results likely won’t be known for a few months because they will be based on a blood test rather than a breath test.

. Violation of conditions of release from a previous conviction.

. Operating after suspension.

. Driving to endanger.

. Two counts of leaving the scene of a property damage accident. Those charges stem from Cardwell’s allegedly having struck two other vehicles, one on State Street and one on Broadway, just before the episode at John Bapst.

Reporter Nok-Noi Ricker contributed to this story.