A 'repeat offender' 10-year-old stole a car and drove it across a school playground

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - On September 20th, video surveillance shows the moments a 10-year-old drove a stolen vehicle across a crowded playground. According to WBAY, police confirmed the arrest of the young boy, who they say is a repeat offender.

Surveillance footage shows the car on the grass and sidewalk as school staff at Nellie Stone Johnson School try to move children out of harm's way. Police said that the 10-year-old is a repeat offender and has had at least 30 incidents dating back to May of 2023. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said that on October 3rd, the young boy was booked into Hennepin County Juvenile Detention Center for probable cause second-degree assault.

In the past, the 10-year-old has been arrested at least twice for auto-theft-related crimes and is listed as a suspect in more than 12 cases that range from auto theft to robbery to assault with a dangerous weapon. O'Hara said that the boy's family has been cooperative with police and has asked for help with the 10-year-old. O'Hara said in a statement, "It is unfathomable that a 10-year-old boy has been involved in this level of criminal activity without effective intervention. Prison is not an acceptable option for a 10-year-old boy, but the adults who can stop this behavior going forward must act now to help this child and his family.

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. This is a complex issue, and we need every entity involved in intervention to come together immediately to establish short and long-term solutions."

According to NBC5, the office of Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty released a statement calling for "urgent and immediate action" to address the "complex needs" of seemingly trouble youth. O'Hara said, "We have noticed this year that the age for juvenile offenders who are very active has gotten younger and while it started with theft of Kias and Hyundais, it has continued into more serious crimes, and this is a situation where a mother, who I believe to be a good parent, has been asking the system for help and the system has been failing her and failing her child, and we need to figure out what the answer to that is."

In a separate incident, an eight-year-old girl took an SUV from her Ohio home and drove for miles to a Target. According to ABC7, the girl and the car, a 2020 Nissan Rogue were reported missing early in the morning with family members saying they had last seen the girl at the residence a few hours before. As police launched their investigation, they learned that a small child had been spotted driving a vehicle on a nearby road. That car, however, could not be located. The SUV was eventually found in the parking lot of a Target in Bainbridge, which is nearly 13 miles away from her home.

Police soon found the child by herself inside of the store. She told officers that she struck a mailbox while driving, but nothing else. Police said that the girl is too young to face criminal charges. The case remains under investigation. 
 
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Kevin

Obviously, the children of intact white parents.

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