James Garrett Daly, 46, drove onto Agoura High School’s baseball field while students were present in attempt to evade policemen Saturday, March 4.

The driver fled the scene of a hit-and-run on Driver Avenue near Agoura High School, in which he had rear-ended another car.

Daly then turned onto the dirt road behind the school and plowed through two chain link fences before steering his Honda Accord toward the baseball field where freshman players from Agoura and Hart High School were warming up.

“I was extremely concerned for the safety and well-being of my students, as well as my staff and parents. Honestly, it was a very bizarre and surreal incident and one that I’ll never forget,” Agoura High School Principal Brian Mercer wrote in an email.

According to Lieutenant Edward Winslow, there is no evidence that Daly was deliberately attempting to hit students. The Lost Hills Sheriff’s Department believes that Daly drove onto campus by mistake in an attempt to evade police.

“It can be assumed only because he was driving there after he left the scene of the accident. He intentionally drove over there, but [it is unclear] whether he [intentionally] drove onto [campus],” Winslow said.

The student athletes were rushed off the field to a safe location near classrooms. Daly’s erratic driving was stopped when his vehicle collided with a large dirt mound near one of the dugouts. Several parents then broke his driver’s side window, dragged him out and held him until law enforcement arrived.

Daly is currently in custody for felony assault with a deadly weapon, evading police and driving with a suspended license. His bail was set at $50,000 and he is awaiting trial.

“We are hopeful that the Sheriff’s Department will give us follow-up information about why this happened and give us next steps,” Mercer wrote.

Artin Ghidari, a sophomore at Agoura High School, said he was shocked by news of the incident.

“There have been lots of car crashes throughout the past few years. However, this one in particular was really close to killing the baseball team, and if I was there, I think I would have been terrified,” Ghidari wrote in an email.

After Daly was taken into custody and his car towed off the field, the ball game proceeded as usual.

“We followed up with our players, coaches and parents the following Monday to ensure that they were OK and felt safe. Counselors were made available to students as needed. It turns out that the students and parents were fine, no one needed counseling and they wanted to move on,” Mercer wrote.