A troubled 10-year-old boy who’s already racked up multiple auto-theft related arrests was busted again last month in Minneapolis for stealing a car and nearly running over children in a park.
Surveillance footage obtained by Fox 9 shows the miniature menace swerving and circling a playground on Sept. 20 as dozens of kids play nearby at the Nellie Stone Johnson School in north Minneapolis.
At one point the car rolls across the entrance path as a young child attempts to walk over to meet her guardian, the frightening footage shows. Thankfully, no children were hurt during the dangerous stunt.
The youngster was arrested Thursday and locked up at a juvenile detention facility on probable cause of second-degree assault, Fox 9 reported, citing police.
Shockingly, the 10-year-old is no stranger to the Minneapolis Police Department and has an arrest record dating back to May 2023.
He’s been busted twice previously on auto-theft related crimes and was a suspect in a case of assault with a deadly weapon, the department said, according to the report.
In an August incident, the boy allegedly pulled out a knife while attempting to jack someone’s ride. When the woman attempted to resist, the diminutive devil threatened to “gut her.”
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said at a press conference earlier Friday that this boy is part of a disturbing trend plaguing the midwestern city.
“This is one example that we need to highlight because this is the problem that we’ve been seeing all year,” he continued, “We’ve noticed this year that the age of juvenile offenders who are very active has gotten younger.”
“Though it started with the problem of the theft of keys and Hyundais, it has continued into more serious crimes.”
Chief O’Hara also said that the family of the child is cooperating with the police – and has previously asked for more serious intervention but to no avail.
The chief said “the system” has failed that mother and said that his office is attempting to advocate on her behalf.
The boy’s mother reportedly said that her son and the other deranged juveniles are committing these crimes “for their own entertainment.”
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office is charging the boy with reckless driving and receiving stolen property.
“We are facing an urgent crisis in our community related to a small group of children who are not competent to stand trial in the juvenile justice system, but who cannot safely be at home,” the attorney’s office said in a statement.
“We cannot charge or prosecute our way out of this crisis.”
“This is only one example of the revolving door we’re dealing with – arresting and re-arresting the same juveniles for auto-theft and other violent crimes,” echoed Chief O’Hara.
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