Sheriff’s deputies are used to following vehicles on wild pursuits, but the person behind the wheel during a Monday morning chase was far from the usual suspect — it was a 12-year-old boy accused of taking his parents’ truck on a joyride to school, authorities said.
Sacramento County sheriff’s deputies responded to a call shortly before 7 a.m. regarding a boy who had taken his parents’ vehicle to his former school on Caymus Drive in south Sacramento. He knocked over several traffic cones by the school and then drove away, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies attempted to stop the vehicle but said the boy refused, leading authorities on a pursuit through the surrounding neighborhood. The brief chase culminated in the boy crashing the truck into one of the patrol cars and a parked vehicle.
Photos shared by the department show a Ford pick-up with severe damage to the front driver’s side of the vehicle and a flat tire.
No one was injured during the incident, and the boy was taken into custody. Authorities warned local drivers to be aware of traffic delays in the area of Gerber Road and Valley Wood Drive.
The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comments regarding what happens next in the boy’s case.
In California, 12 is the minimum age at which a minor can be held criminally responsible for charges in juvenile court. As the child is under 14, officers are legally required to take him into temporary custody while they contact his guardians.
Juvenile cases are sent to a county probation officer who reviews the police report, interviews the child and family and then decides whether to file a petition for charges in juvenile court or handle it informally through avenues such as warnings or required counseling.
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